Charles Barkley says Kobe Bryant one of five best players in NBA history
During a spirited exchange on TNT’s Inside the NBA
over the weekend, Charles Barkley made a bold statement, shocking his colleague Kenny Smith. The opinionated Barkley began by saying he wanted to tweak one of his previous statements.
"Remember last week that I said that Kobe Bryant was one of the 10 greatest NBA players ever. I want to change that," Barkley said.
“To what?” replied Smith.
"He's one of the five greatest ever," said Barkley.
A stunned Smith responded by asking Barkley to list his top-five.
"Michael's first, Oscar Robertson's second — this is just my opinion," Barkley replied. "Bill Russell's third, Wilt Chamberlain's four and Kobe Bryant's five."
Smith then asked Barkley if Bryant is better than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, a question Barkley answered in the affirmative. Smith then brought up another player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
the six-time NBA champion and 19-time All-Star. When Barkley said Bryant is better than Abdul-Jabbar, Smith pretended to leave the set in disbelief.
"Are you serious? Are you serious?" asked Smith. "You think Kobe Bryant's better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 years?"
When Barkley answered yes, Smith asked him to take it back.
"Oh, you don't wanna — you know you want to take it back. Say six," Smith said. "Say he's number six. I'll agree with you if you say six."
Barkley thought about it for a second and then said, “Kobe Bryant is one of the five greatest NBA players ever."
Last month, Michael Jordan made headlines when he was asked how Bryant ranks among the all-time best in the game.
"It's so hard to say... If you are talking about guards, I would say he has got to be in the top 10,” said Jordan.
Bryant is a five-time NBA champion, 12-time All-Star, and eight-time member of the All-NBA First Team. His Los Angeles Lakers are bidding for a three-peat this year, their second in 12
years. Despite averaging only 32.6 minutes per game this season, the least floor-time since his 1997-98 season, Bryant’s numbers haven’t dropped from his career averages. He is averaging 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, helping his team
to a stellar 12-2 record so far.
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