The Los Angeles Lakers, with their 17 Championships, are one of the most popular and successful teams in the NBA. With players like the late Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominating different eras, the team has come a long way since its inception. That being said, fans and players are expected to have a few favorites.
During a recent appearance on the Players Choice show, retired NBA player Jason Williams shared his opinion about the Lakers. As per Williams, Bryant was not in his top five, which is not as high on a list as people would like.?In the end, fans ended up calling Williams out for his choice on social media.
As a result, Williams ended up making an apology, retracting his statement about Bryant.
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Williams apologies for Kobe Bryant comment; fans react
In his latest Instagram post, Williams tried to explain his Bryant claims. However, fans had varied reactions on Twitter and Instagram.
Bru got bullied into an apology.😭 https://t.co/rDuqHkVY4g
— ⛹🏽♂️David Stern (@F_Heff) March 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/knationgfx/status/1503473829200502786?s=20&t=xElU375uaoQes7pYkKwMEA
Idk how ppl didn’t see it like this.
— Yasir Bin abdirizak (@HurdadaKaKac) March 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/AdisneyBurner/status/1503474126266277895?s=20&t=xElU375uaoQes7pYkKwMEA
This only shows how poor this guy's knowledge of the game's history is. U literally cannot put up a single argument for Kobe's case, where Magic would not beat him
— Tamal Pal (@pal_tamal) March 14, 2022
shouldn’t have to be clarified this is common knowledge
— DonRobbieBurner🫡🎳 (@DonRobbieBurner) March 14, 2022
He got bullied into this response
— 🎰 (@8DirtyBird) March 14, 2022
According to some users, Williams had been practically forced to apologize for his own views.
However, many even sided with Williams. Fans added that a comment like this should not be clarified, and his statement was not needed. Some users continued to stand by Williams’ original statement. After all, every opinion is different, and people have the right to say what they want.
Naturally, some people continued to argue. Williams’ knowledge of the sport was brought up, especially as Bryant’s fans believed the former player was unaware of his history.
Jason Williams on Kobe Bryant: “I’m not even sure Kobe’s in my top 5 list of all-time greatest Lakers.”
(via @PlayersChoice_) pic.twitter.com/XF8CS4ifcG
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 10, 2022
How did Williams retract his statement?
In his IG post, Williams admitted to being aware of what was said post his Bryant comment. Addressing the anger some people harbor, Williams added that he believes Bryant is the greatest Laker ever. He further explained his point, speaking about how they were speaking in general, and not the greatest Laker specifically.
View this post on Instagram
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In the end, Williams also mentioned Bryant beating his team, which was probably to remind people that he did actually play against these greats himself. A 1998 Round 1 Pick No. 7 by the Sacramento Kings, Williams was drafted seasons before Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal won their first title together (2000).
He went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, and the Miami Heat, with whom he won the 2006 NBA Championship.
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With Williams’ last season in the NBA being the 2010-2011 campaign, his career did overlap with Bryant’s. The late NBA legend won five titles in his career, retiring a couple of years later in 2016.
Do you agree with Williams’ final statement? Let us know in the comments below.