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Normally when we talk about outlandish takes on Inside the NBA, we're referring to Shaquille O'Neal or Charles Barkley. However, this recent take on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant by Kenny Smith while talking to a bunch of basketball fans has left the Internet stunned.
Normally, Kenny 'The Jet' Smith acts as the voice of reason on the tumultuous TNT show. Given Chuck and Shaq's propensity to act like instigators and stir people up the wrong way, the Jet often has to play the role of pacifier. However, in the video above, he is the one trying to force giggles out of people.
While listing his top 10 players of all time, Kenny Smith says he's got LeBron James in his top 10, but only at the 10th spot. Furthermore, he says Kobe Bryant is not even in his top 10, but is 11th all time for him.
The reason, he explains, is that offense in the contemporary NBA is much easier for stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant due to different defensive rules. The paint would be packed much more by big men, and it was much tougher to escort the ball into the hoop on drives.
ALSO READ: LeBron James vs Michael Jordan - A statistical comparison
Why LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are Top 10?
Despite Kenny's beliefs, and he's got his own set of reasons for them, it is quite impossible for any reasonable NBA follower to exclude 5-time champion Kobe Bryant from their top 10; much less place LeBron James at number 10.
LeBron James had one of the greatest NBA Finals performances of all time in 2016. He led both teams in all 5 major stat categories - points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks through 7 games. In addition, James has 4 MVP trophies to his name, and is #3 on the all-time scoring list right now.
Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, has 5 championships to his name. In 2 of those campaigns, he was the Finals MVP, and he averaged 29 points per game in another Finals series when he didn't win that most coveted individual award. Kobe Bryant is tied 1st all-time for First Team All-Defensive Honours (9), and his streak of First Team All-NBA selections is bettered only by LeBron James.
Kobe is the greatest scorer of this century, as attested to by many experts. Even if we concede for the fact that defenses are not as physical today as they were in the 70s and 80s, there is no denying his two-way impact in a way that the likes of Nate Archibald never made.
LeBron James himself has put his name indelibly into the GOAT debate, and there is a sizeable chunk of fans that do consider him #1 all time. To rank him at #10 is nothing short of preposterous.
ALSO READ: Ranking the top 10 Finals MVP performances of all time
Guess the Lakers players!
