Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant left an undeniable impact on the basketball world. The top talents in the NBA were already suffering from Jordan’s dominating performance for over 15 years when Kobe Bryant came in. The Black Mamba arrived in the league as a perfect reflection of MJ terrorizing the league just like the latter. There have been multiple conversations about the greatest player in the NBA and none of them is complete without the duo’s name in the discussion.
Former Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins reiterated the same while talking about two of the greatest players to ever play the game.?In a recent podcast, Wilkins expressed what he really felt whilst playing against both of them in the 90s. The Hawks legend couldn’t stress enough that their greatness couldn’t be analyzed by statistics, rather one would need to spend quite a few minutes on the hardwood floor to understand their dominance.?
Dominique Wilkins decided to speak facts on Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan
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In a recent episode of the Knuckleheads podcast, Wilkins spoke about his playing days against great players including the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers legends. The nine-time All-Star recalled how he had a lot of “fun” whilst giving tough competition to Michael Jordan in his prime. Amidst the discussion, the Hawks legend acknowledged that the only thing that could be compared to MJ was Kobe Bryant.?
“People who played against Kobe, they know, they know, they know!” said Wilkins. He further added, “well, see if you haven’t played against either one of them guys, you don’t realize how good they really were, and you know its easy for people especially when you have different social media feeds with these comparisons who’s the greatest, who’s not. I don’t buy into all of that? both of them was lethal and they didn’t care anything about you when they got on the floor. They were trying to cut your throat.”
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Furthermore, the Hawks great mentioned how there are many fans who enjoy the game but don’t know the game. Over the years the conversations about the greatest in the game have seen many twists and turns, and it seems like the players themselves are tired of being in the conversation.
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NBA legends tired of being in the G.O.A.T conversation
According to Wilkins, MJ used to frequently mention that he needed to play with legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to be called the greatest of the game. The legendary Kobe Bryant also mentioned once how great players can co-exist “without tearing” one?another.?
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Recently when LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time top-scorer in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal asked James whether he thought of himself as the G.O.A.T. “Imma let everybody else decide that” replied James, with a sly smile.
Was it because he was tired of being asked or was it an affirmation to Michael Jordan? Post a comment and let us know what you think!