IS KOBE BRYANT...OVERRATED?

Some of the things said in here are just.....ridiculous. Being the face of the NBA is the only thing that's been overrated in this thread. Kareem/Hakeem/Moses Malone/Oscar Robertson were never the face of the NBA and all of them were at the very least top 15 players ever.

And it's not just with Kobe. I still don't understand how Tim Duncan isn't on everyones top 10 list. He was NEVER the "face" of the NBA, never marketed anywhere near as much as some other players of his time, and his teams had some of the worst finals ratings ever. None of those things take away from his legacy at all, the guy is top 10 hands down not because of his marketing ability or lack thereof. It's because he earned it by winning and has the resume to back it up.

The majority opinion amongst the basketball world is that Kobe/Duncan are top 10 players of all time. Ive seen many top 10 rankings all stating Kobe and Tim Duncan are top 10 players, and I've never seen George Mikan in any major or minor publications top 10.

LONGSTROKE Forget Kobe, how is Tim Duncan not a top 10 player of all time ?

Since i believe you listed Jordan/Wilt/Shaq/Russell/Mikan/Dr. J/Magic/Bird/Oscar/Kareem as your top 10.
 
What's with Kobe fans ALWAYS bringing up other players? "Jordan did that? Oh Lebron did that" Next time someone misses a clutch shot and gets clowned for it, everyone should just say, "Kobe's missed a ton too"
 
Name at least 5 nba players who doesn't think kobe is top ten. The Players play the game, experience the game so their opinion hold more than any of us

I cant even find 5 nba players who disagree kobe being top 10 but there are multiple players who agreed kobe is top 10

Marc Jackson, magic Johnson, Larry bird, Shaquille, charles barkley, kenny smith, Clyde drexler, James worthy, Reggie miller, Doug Collin etc to name a few. All have said kobe is top 10
 
AlphaWolf said:
Name at least 5 nba players who doesn't think kobe is top ten. The Players play the game, experience the game so their opinion hold more than any of us
I cant even find 5 nba players who disagree kobe being top 10 but there are multiple players who agreed kobe is top 10
Marc Jackson, magic Johnson, Larry bird, Shaquille, charles barkley, kenny smith, Clyde drexler, James worthy, Reggie miller, Doug Collin etc to name a few. All have said kobe is top 10
Click to expand...


The fact that you used the basketball opinions of Marc Jackson, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O'neal automatically voids your argument
 
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Dellibedaboss said:
Lmbo, like please explain this to everyone. Please....
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im kidding.. i know he's not better.. but people dont give kobe enough credit..at all. and people dont realize how kobe is the closest thing to jordan we will ever see. it's funny, because as kids, men, players we all wanted to be like mike.. and now that there is a player that plays very similar to jordan he gets knocked for being a copy cat... while everyone wants to see someone play with the skillset that jordan and kobe has.

jordan won 6 rings, 6 mvp's.. kobe has 5 rings, 2 mvp's.. and you're basing your decision on that? rings? russel has 11.. or are we rating it on highest scoring? then it is wilt.

do you think that jordan would be the mvp of his team with shaq on it? and you can say, yeah but jordan is better than shaq.. so was kobe, when he was 21, 22 years old.. even by being the #2 option on offense, kobe still got very similar numbers compared to shaq. a lot of people say without shaq, kobe would have only 2 rings.. you can argue it like that, but also think if kobe didnt play with shaq.shaq would have only 1 ring with wade. i think shaq needed kobe more than kobe needed shaq, penny hardaway, dwyane wade, steve nash, lebron james, rajon rondo, shaq has played with great wings/point guards his entire career. and in the series against the pacers it was kobe who stepped up, when shaq fouled out.

even if kobe and jordan are more talented than shaq, if you run an offense, you run it through shaq, regardless... maybe not in crunch time, but the majority of the shots are high percentage shots and those are made in the paint.

and we can argue that jordan would not have won without pippen.. i dont care how good mj was.. he couldnt get past the pistons, and if he didnt have pippen, he wouldnt even make it to the eastern conference. who would he trust, horace grant? john paxson, stacey king?

so winning championships has also a lot to do with the team that is there and who it is built around. otherwise jordan would be a tracy mcgrady.. a player that put up huge numbers but never got the rings to show off

offensively, kobe has more weapons than jordan. more moves.. on defense jordan is def. better, even though i think kobe could be a def. player of the year, if he focused more on D.. the last few years kobe has gotten the nod because of his rep. but knowing the heavy load he carries on offense, i doubt that would ever happen. kobe has a lot more responsibilities of offense, because he is more of an all around player. jordan was just a flat out scoring machine. phil jackson even said so, that kobe has more responsibilities, because he needs to make sure the right players get the ball.

in the end there are a lot of things about kobe that people can say.. but the fact of the matter is.. kobe is one of the best players in history.. and most likely he is better than 95% of the players you can name.. not named jordan

and to be honest i hope kobe gets more rings than 5. the hardest working player in the nba, and still at 34 years old has not slowed down..
 
AlphaWolf said:
Someone should make long stroke famous. Send him to nba tv or espn show and let him discuss what he think about the state of the league lol.
He think he's an expert of everything but sadly the only place he can vent is niketalk forum lol
Long stroke has the power to see right through David stern head. He never work for nba or invest in nba but he can tell that David stern lied to keep shareholder happy lol.
lol too easy
Click to expand...
 
AlphaWolf said:
Name at least 5 nba players who doesn't think kobe is top ten. The Players play the game, experience the game so their opinion hold more than any of us
I cant even find 5 nba players who disagree kobe being top 10 but there are multiple players who agreed kobe is top 10
Marc Jackson, magic Johnson, Larry bird, Shaquille, charles barkley, kenny smith, Clyde drexler, James worthy, Reggie miller, Doug Collin etc to name a few. All have said kobe is top 10
Click to expand...
 
People gotta stop holding these players that came before in such high regard that they can't be touched or surpassed. Yes, what they did for their time, what they did for the game as a whole is great. But that's taking away from some of the games greatest players that's ever played, the players of the first decade of the new 2000's and even the best from this early part of the next decade. Like people just act like there's no way Kobe can be better than Jordan. Like Lebron just can't be the best ever. Imo, that's the way the game goes. Just like Kobe, Bron, and other greats came along after Jordan it'll be players who come along 10-20 yrs from now that will be better than bron, kobe etc. Like I think I read someone say Kobe isn't top 10 of all time. Really ? People are really not giving the modern NBA superstars the credit they deserve. I don't care how you put it, there's no way Kobe Bryant isn't top 10 all time. For the record, Kobe is not better than Mike imo but people act like Jordan is just vastly better. Kobe is right there. 
 
UCM92 said:
People gotta stop holding these players that came before in such high regard that they can't be touched or surpassed. Yes, what they did for their time, what they did for the game as a whole is great. But that's taking away from some of the games greatest players that's ever played, the players of the first decade of the new 2000's and even the best from this early part of the next decade. Like people just act like there's no way Kobe can be better than Jordan. Like Lebron just can't be the best ever. Imo, that's the way the game goes. Just like Kobe, Bron, and other greats came along after Jordan it'll be players who come along 10-20 yrs from now that will be better than bron, kobe etc. Like I think I read someone say Kobe isn't top 10 of all time. Really ? People are really not giving the modern NBA superstars the credit they deserve. I don't care how you put it, there's no way Kobe Bryant isn't top 10 all time. For the record, Kobe is not better than Mike imo but people act like Jordan is just vastly better. Kobe is right there. 
Click to expand...
When has Kobe Bryant ever been considered the face of the league by both his peers, and then fans of the game?
 
LONGSTROKE said:
UCM92 said:
People gotta stop holding these players that came before in such high regard that they can't be touched or surpassed. Yes, what they did for their time, what they did for the game as a whole is great. But that's taking away from some of the games greatest players that's ever played, the players of the first decade of the new 2000's and even the best from this early part of the next decade. Like people just act like there's no way Kobe can be better than Jordan. Like Lebron just can't be the best ever. Imo, that's the way the game goes. Just like Kobe, Bron, and other greats came along after Jordan it'll be players who come along 10-20 yrs from now that will be better than bron, kobe etc. Like I think I read someone say Kobe isn't top 10 of all time. Really ? People are really not giving the modern NBA superstars the credit they deserve. I don't care how you put it, there's no way Kobe Bryant isn't top 10 all time. For the record, Kobe is not better than Mike imo but people act like Jordan is just vastly better. Kobe is right there. 
Click to expand...
When has Kobe Bryant ever been considered the face of the league by both his peers, and then fans of the game?
Click to expand...

The day Shaq was traded. Up through 2008..

Then shared it with Lebron for a year in 2009..

2010 I would say it was slightly Lebron because of the buzz about his Free Agency during the whole season..

Now it's Lebron & KD.


But even as the pedestal has change.. Kobe still out-rakes them both in international popularity. Which is something Stern is adamant about. So he sells Kobe on the international product more than anyone.
 
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Essential1 said:
The day Shaq was traded. Up through 2008..
Then shared it with Lebron for a year in 2009..
2010 I would say it was slightly Lebron because of the buzz about his Free Agency during the whole season..
Now it's Lebron & KD.
But even as the pedestal has change.. Kobe still out-rakes them both in international popularity. Which is something Stern is adamant about. So he sells Kobe on the international product more than anyone.
Click to expand...
Source?

I mean, for any of what you've just stated.
 
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Here's some proof of what I stated about Jordan being considered the  man...
On February 1, 1984, Stern became the Commissioner of the NBA, succeeding Larry O'Brien. It was during that same year (1984-85) that four of the NBA's biggest superstars — Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton  — entered the league.

The arrival of Michael Jordan, in particular, ushered in a new era of commercial bounty for the NBA. With him came his flair and talent for the game, and that brought in shoe contracts from Nike  which helped to give the league even more national attention.[sup][5][/sup]  Jordan and the two other premier basketball  legends of the 1980s, Larry Bird  and Magic Johnson, took the game to new heights of popularity and profit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Stern
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...and I have more.
 
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LONGSTROKE said:
Essential1 said:
The day Shaq was traded. Up through 2008..

Then shared it with Lebron for a year in 2009..

2010 I would say it was slightly Lebron because of the buzz about his Free Agency during the whole season..

Now it's Lebron
Click to expand...
Source?

I mean, for any of what you've just stated.
Click to expand...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574258222289862830.html

" Not only is Mr. Bryant accepting an award from the Asia Society for his work as a “cultural ambassador,” the ceremony will be attended by Liu Peng, China’s “Minister of Sport” and a member of China’s Communist Party Central Committee. "

"“He reminds everyone of Michael Jordan,” says Shen Zhiyu, a senior basketball writer for Titan Sports, China’s largest sports daily."



http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....still-king-of-international-nba-jersey-sales/

"Kobe Bryant is still the biggest brand in the NBA.

Others are in line for his crown, but if you want to use an NBA star to sell shoes or soft drink or whatever internationally, Kobe is the gold standard.

And he can sell jerseys, too.

The league announced the top NBA jersey sales internationally and Kobe was on top again. He sold the most jerseys in China, the most in Europe and the most in Latin America, too. Kobe is a true global brand. This really isn’t a surprise."

http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/whose-jersey-is-number-one-kobe-bryants/

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2689

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...-06/Bryant-most-popular-US-athlete/56878630/1
For the sixth consecutive year, his jersey was the top seller in China,

Mathieu Dufrenne, 26 of France bought his home jersey four years ago.
"In France, it's quite difficult to see the games, but you can see summaries of the games, and the best actions of the night always show Kobe Bryant, and it's been like that for years. Everybody knows Kobe Bryant," Dufrenne said.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/40641746/Kobe_Bryant_To_Endorse_Turkish_Airlines
 
Essential1 said:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574258222289862830.html
" Not only is Mr. Bryant accepting an award from the Asia Society for his work as a “cultural ambassador,” the ceremony will be attended by Liu Peng, China’s “Minister of Sport” and a member of China’s Communist Party Central Committee. "
"“He reminds everyone of Michael Jordan,” says Shen Zhiyu, a senior basketball writer for Titan Sports, China’s largest sports daily."
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....still-king-of-international-nba-jersey-sales/
"Kobe Bryant is still the biggest brand in the NBA.
Others are in line for his crown, but if you want to use an NBA star to sell shoes or soft drink or whatever internationally, Kobe is the gold standard.
And he can sell jerseys, too.
The league announced the top NBA jersey sales internationally and Kobe was on top again. He sold the most jerseys in China, the most in Europe and the most in Latin America, too. Kobe is a true global brand. This really isn’t a surprise."
http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/whose-jersey-is-number-one-kobe-bryants/
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2689
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...-06/Bryant-most-popular-US-athlete/56878630/1
For the sixth consecutive year, his jersey was the top seller in China,
Mathieu Dufrenne, 26 of France bought his home jersey four years ago.
"In France, it's quite difficult to see the games, but you can see summaries of the games, and the best actions of the night always show Kobe Bryant, and it's been like that for years. Everybody knows Kobe Bryant," Dufrenne said.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40641746/Kobe_Bryant_To_Endorse_Turkish_Airlines
Click to expand...
No you didn't just do that. You should be embarrassed.
 
So there can't be multiple faces of the league? Its always 2-5 guys that are the face of the league.  Kobe has been that and still is.
 
PowerBallin said:
great response but Ill ask again so you can dodge it.  Every negative about Kobe's leadership can be said about MJ. So why try to use that as "strike" against Kobe?
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...and I will say it again. You cannot compare the two, because Bryant is not Jordan.

Just because Jordan did it, does not mean that it's okay for KOBE to do it. 
 
"The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Panini Group have announced an extension to their partnership, allowing the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company to continue to be the exclusive trading card and sticker partner for the NBA globally. The global reach in territory was an important feature for Panini, which will particularly focus in expanding its presence in the Chinese market.

The Panini Group already has exclusive relationships with some of the NBA’s most recognizable players, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who has become the voice and spokesman for Panini’s line of basketball-related products. "
 
Essential1 said:
"The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Panini Group have announced an extension to their partnership, allowing the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company to continue to be the exclusive trading card and sticker partner for the NBA globally. The global reach in territory was an important feature for Panini, which will particularly focus in expanding its presence in the Chinese market.
The Panini Group already has exclusive relationships with some of the NBA’s most recognizable players, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who has become the voice and spokesman for Panini’s line of basketball-related products. "
Click to expand...
Panini's line, not the NBA.

Next.
 
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