The Loop
Kobe Bryant likes tweet comparing him to LeBron James, has lost none of his confidence
Victor Decolongon
Kobe Bryant's career resume, and penchant for hitting the clutch shot, makes him one of the greatest to ever play basketball. He's a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP, an 18-time All-Star and ranks third on the all-time scoring list. No one would have an issue with putting him among the top 15, or 10 NBA players of all time, it's when you get into top-five territory that it becomes an actual debate.
Kobe diehards, and Bryant himself, would lead you to believe that he's the greatest player ever. Most with a functioning brain know this is not the case, especially considering Michael Jordan and LeBron James both play(ed) the sport. Bryant is one of the greatest pure scorers ever, no matter how many shots it took him to get there. If you were starting a team though, nine out of 10 people are taking LeBron, and the 10th person's opinion immediately holds no value going forward.
Don't tell that to the always confident Kobe, who randomly liked this hilarious tweet from someone claiming Bryant was more skilled than James:
Kobe's belief in himself is admirable, and it's what got him to the peak of the sport as many times as he did, even if a few of those times came with Shaquille "GOOGLE ME CHUCK" O'Neal. But this is Skip Bayless-level trolling here. I guess myself and many others are not "ballers", because on no planet is Kobe more skilled than LeBron, who is currently averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the playoffs at the age of 33. For comparison's sake, Kobe's best year in the postseason arguably came in 2010, when he won his fifth Finals and averaged 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and and 5.5 assists at the age of 31.