Kobe Bryant: The Most Overrated Athlete in Sports History?

[Giuseppe]

In a nuts , you are saying that having a team tainted MJs legacy. That's the Kobe way of thinking I am sure.

Replace Kobe with Prime MJ in 1999 and the Lakers win 8 straight.

No. I'm not calling taint.

I'm just setting Pippen down in the middle of it. Where Pippen belongs.

MJ couldn't ring without Pippen.

Kobe rang without Daddy.

[dbreiden83080]

Best since =/= best ever.

Kobe is the best since Wade...

[Killakobe81]

For someone whose name comes up in such discussions like "Who is the best player ever?" and "Who will be the next Michael Jordan?" Kobe Bryant still has a long way to go.

Sure, I'll admit Bryant has been a prolific scorer throughout his career, but he has shown me nothing that would have me compare him to Michael Jordan.

Let's take a look back to the year 2000, the year L.A. won its first championship with Bryant. During the regular season, Bryant averaged almost 29 points and five assists per game. How did these stats translate over to the NBA Finals? They lowered to 15 points and four assists per game.

Shaquille O'Neal, on the other hand, raised his scoring average, from 28 in the regular season to 38 in the finals.


In 2001, the Lakers once again won the NBA Finals. Any thanks to Kobe? Sure, but his scoring average dropped in the clutch once again, forcing O'Neal to step up and raise his scoring, from 27 per game in the regular season to 33 in the finals.

The Lakers achieved a "three-peat" in 2002, winning their third straight NBA championship. Let's look how Bryant deemed "The Next MJ" stepped up his game to lead his team to the le.

Oh wait, we can't. For the third straight time, Kobe's scoring and assists declined in the series. Bryant once again hopped on O'Neal's humongous shoulders and rode him through the finals. And O'Neal, not Bryant, won the NBA Finals MVP award.

Kobe Bryant has never shown any signs of being a team leader. Nor a team winner. When Jordan led his team to six NBA les; he wasn't the second option. He took over the game and demanded the ball in clutch situations. Bryant simply passed the ball underneath to O'Neal and watched him manhandle anyone who got in his way.

Without O'Neal, Bryant would have no rings. Plenty of scoring les, but no rings. He wouldn't be considered one of the best players ever. And people would laugh in your face if you said he might be the next Michael Jordan.

If Bryant couldn't even be the best player on his team during his championship runs, then how can anyone say he is the best ever?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...sports-history

Br, the most overrated poster in spurstalk history ...

I kid. but just stop. his overrated, non leadeship having ass just finished off your welfare case squad ...so you have no grounds here BR ...none.

Mavs fans on the other hand ...

[BRHornet45]

I think he's overrated by analysts these days because the game needs a great one and he's on winning teams nowadays and he's marketable, as marketable as someone accused of rape can be.

this

[BRHornet45]

If goes down and Lakers lose, they always blame, Odem, Gasol or Drew, but never kobe. If he is so clutch and the best player ever and does not need to be carried by anyone like some Laker fans say here...why is he not getting it done when his team is down? Just saying...

exactly. son why do you think the media has been riding this "ankle injury" crap for a couple of weeks now? they know damn well that Kobe is perfectly fine and healthy, but Gasol and other Lakers aren't playing their best right now and Kobe is playing like as well so the media knows that he has no ones coattails to ride so they need an excuse for his suckassness. If Gasol or other Laker players were balling their asses off right now and Kobe was putting up 15 points per game, guess who they would give ALL of the credit to? yep ... Kobe and only Kobe

the NBA is desperate for cash flow right now and over the last 10-15 years have also felt the need to create superstars and overrated certain players simply for financial reasons and financial reasons only and Kobe is the best example of this.

[Tinystarz]

[Giuseppe]

exactly. son why do you think the media has been riding this "ankle injury" crap for a couple of weeks now? they know damn well that Kobe is perfectly fine and healthy, but Gasol and other Lakers aren't playing their best right now and Kobe is playing like as well so the media knows that he has no ones coattails to ride so they need an excuse for his suckassness. If Gasol or other Laker players were balling their asses off right now and Kobe was putting up 15 points per game, guess who they would give ALL of the credit to? yep ... Kobe and only Kobe

the NBA is desperate for cash flow right now and over the last 10-15 years have also felt the need to create superstars and overrated certain players simply for financial reasons and financial reasons only and Kobe is the best example of this.

He left you where he found ya. Only the one charter back to CA..

1.

[DPG21920]

^ Reporting to Kori for violation of the rules.

[Giuseppe]

^ Reporting to Kori for violation of the rules.

lmcontrollinao!

[NewcastleKEG]

He is one of the top 15 though, I would say.

In no particular order:

Jordan
Magic
Bird
Kareem
Wilt
Russell
Hakeem
Shaq
Duncan
Moses Malone (seriously, I don't think people remember how ridiculously dominant he was back in the day)
Big O

The next tier:
Havlicek (again, one of the most underrated players in league history because the 70's sucked)
Kobe
Baylor
Cousy
.

I love your list. IMO

Top6: Jordan, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Kareem, Russell
7. Duncan
8. Big O
9. Shaq
10. Kobe
11. Hakeem
12. West
13. Havlicek

LeBron moving UP

[NewcastleKEG]

By the way, I posted this article on REALgm Lakers board. I'll post the responses

[SpurOutofTownFan]

For someone whose name comes up in such discussions like "Who is the best player ever?" and "Who will be the next Michael Jordan?" Kobe Bryant still has a long way to go.

Sure, I'll admit Bryant has been a prolific scorer throughout his career, but he has shown me nothing that would have me compare him to Michael Jordan.

Let's take a look back to the year 2000, the year L.A. won its first championship with Bryant. During the regular season, Bryant averaged almost 29 points and five assists per game. How did these stats translate over to the NBA Finals? They lowered to 15 points and four assists per game.

Shaquille O'Neal, on the other hand, raised his scoring average, from 28 in the regular season to 38 in the finals.

In 2001, the Lakers once again won the NBA Finals. Any thanks to Kobe? Sure, but his scoring average dropped in the clutch once again, forcing O'Neal to step up and raise his scoring, from 27 per game in the regular season to 33 in the finals.

The Lakers achieved a "three-peat" in 2002, winning their third straight NBA championship. Let's look how Bryant deemed "The Next MJ" stepped up his game to lead his team to the le.

Oh wait, we can't. For the third straight time, Kobe's scoring and assists declined in the series. Bryant once again hopped on O'Neal's humongous shoulders and rode him through the finals. And O'Neal, not Bryant, won the NBA Finals MVP award.

Kobe Bryant has never shown any signs of being a team leader. Nor a team winner. When Jordan led his team to six NBA les; he wasn't the second option. He took over the game and demanded the ball in clutch situations. Bryant simply passed the ball underneath to O'Neal and watched him manhandle anyone who got in his way.

Without O'Neal, Bryant would have no rings. Plenty of scoring les, but no rings. He wouldn't be considered one of the best players ever. And people would laugh in your face if you said he might be the next Michael Jordan.

If Bryant couldn't even be the best player on his team during his championship runs, then how can anyone say he is the best ever?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...sports-history

good stuff son

[jeebus]

Kobe might be good enough to be a top 100 player in the NBA today. He's definitely one of the top 20,000 greatest players to play the game.

[NewcastleKEG]

Kobe might be good enough to be a top 100 player in the NBA today. He's definitely one of the top 20,000 greatest players to play the game.

Link?

[Giuseppe]

Link?

[DMC]

Lakers with more than half of the top 10 best ever and they have the audacity to brag about rings when they don't even lead the league.

[cobbler]

Lakers with more than half of the top 10 best ever and they have the audacity to brag about rings when they don't even lead the league.

When your 60's team loses 8 you are in a big hole. They lost twice as many as your team has won. And here we are decades later and climbing out of that hole and about to tie it. It's our mission and we never give up.

LOL @ spurfan mocking 16 rings and multiple back to backs. CLASSIC!

[Red Hawk #21]

Has Kobe even drove the ball to the rim even once in this series? I'm dead serious too, apart from his missed fastbreak layup I don't think he's gone to the rim at all.

[Giuseppe]

Has Kobe even drove the ball to the rim even once in this series? I'm dead serious too, apart from his missed fastbreak layup I don't think he's gone to the rim at all.

I think he was planning on saving that to The Finals like last June.

[DMC]

When your 60's team loses 8 you are in a big hole. They lost twice as many as your team has won. And here we are decades later and climbing out of that hole and about to tie it. It's our mission and we never give up.

LOL @ spurfan mocking 16 rings and multiple back to backs. CLASSIC!

The Spurs have only a few of the greatest players ever, yet we have won only one fewer than you have in the past 11 years. We didn't even collude to get there. We also didn't buy other teams' franchise players.

[LkrFan]

Gasol was already an All Star by then.

Artest's career is sealed in . It just is.

I am surprised you didn't mention Shaq.

Who have the Lakers developed since Kobe started? They acquire all stars. They don't develop anything.

Uhh, they developed Bynum. Remember him?

[Giuseppe]

The Spurs have only a few of the greatest players ever, yet we have won only one fewer than you have in the past 11 years.

Ipso facto:::

Kobe: 5

tired old bag Duncan: 4

[LkrFan]

Ipso facto:::

Kobe: 5

tired old bag Duncan: 4

[Giuseppe]

[DMC]

Wow... talk about mileage.