When it comes to the NBA, fans everywhere love to debate players standings not only today, but throughout the history of the league. Is LeBron better than Kobe ever was? Can Kevin Durant ever pass LeBron? Just two examples of debate-starting questions fans have discussed in recent seasons.
One thing that is not up for debate in most NBA circles? The title of Greatest of All-Time. That goes to Michael Jordan, and most people will not even give you the opportunity to argue against it. It’s hard to argue against a six-time Champion who also happens to have six Finals MVP’s, an undefeated record in the Finals, five regular season MVP’s, ten scoring titles and a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume.
However that didn’t stop current Pistons guard Brandon Jennings from taking to Twitter to proclaim that Kobe Bryant, not Jordan, is the G.O.A.T. in the NBA.
Micheal Jordan had more "Help" winning his rings then Kobe. #debate #yallfightingthat
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
Kobe Had Shaq. MJ had Pippen, Dennis, Ron Harper, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, John Paxson, B. J. Armstrong.
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
Y'all gotta turn to NBATV, Mike got a lot of Help!!!!
“@Jake_OohKillEm: @BrandonJennings what r u trying to say!?” – Kobe really the greatest ever
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
MJ never won without Pippen. Kobe won 2 rings without another great on his team. Kobe is The Goat
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
So uhh, there are kind of a lot of holes in those arguments Brandon.
First off, Kobe didn’t win two titles without a great teammate. Pau Gasol is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one of the greatest European players to ever step foot on an NBA court. Secondly, naming B.J. Armstrong and John Paxson as proof that Jordan had great help is a bit of a stretch don’t you think? Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Glen Rice, Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Metta World Peace were all role players just as good as most of Jordan’s teammates.