With so many great players over a short history, it’s hard to determine who the greatest NBA player of all time is, or for that matter, who are the all time great players.
Many people will pick an all time starting five, and a lot of the time, that starting five of NBA greats is usually different depending on who’s picking it.
Kobe Bryant may someday go down as one of the top five NBA players of all time, and yesterday during an interview with John Ireland and Mike Trudell on ESPN LA 710, the Black Mamba revealed his all time starting five.
“It’s not very difficult for me,” Kobe said. “I’d go Magic (Johnson), (Michael) Jordan, (Larry) Bird, (Bill) Russell and (Kareem Abdul-Jabar).”
Mike Trudell had the same all time starting five that Bryant did. Ireland, not wanting to be left out, gave his version of a starting five that could be that all time starting five of Bryant.
Ireland’s five included Bryant, LeBron James, Oscar Robinson, Tim Duncan and Wilt Chamberlain. Bryant agreed that neither team would necessarily dominate the other, and the games would be ultra competitive.
Bryant then went on a rant about Larry Bird, and discussed how underrated he felt Bird was.
I will say as the years go on people really forget how great Larry Bird was,” Bryant said. “He was ridiculous. And I grew up in LA — just like everyone else here — hating his guts. But the guy was just money.”