There are so many arguments to be made for the greatest player of all time with a lot of great players stepping foot in the NBA, making it hard to come down to one clear-cut player.
In recent years, the two players at the forefront are Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
James has defied Father Time so far with the way he played in his 21st season, but Jordan was simply the greatest scorer the NBA has seen.
However, a dark horse in this argument is another Lakers legend, the late great Kobe Bryant, who is probably behind Jordan as the most gifted scorer in the league. Someone who got to play with both Bryant and James was Trevor Ariza, and he discussed where both rank on his all-time list, via Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe:
“To me, [Kobe Bryant] is the best player ever. He is. That’s just my favorite player. [Michael Jordan] is in a completely different, he’s by himself. But if I had to say, Kobe is the best player ever. [LeBron James] is 1B. Kobe 1A, [LeBron] 1B.”
Ariza got to see Kobe up close as a teammate and fortunately won a championship alongside him in 2009. Bryant averaged 26.8 points that season and anyone who’s been hiss teammates can attest to how dedicated he was to his game and winning championships, which made him special.
Over a decade later, Ariza would return to the Lakers for the 2021-22 to play alongside James. While that season was a dark moment for fans, James averaged 30.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists at the age of 37, something that simply should not be possible at James’ age.
It’s rare for players to say that they were able to play with two of the greatest players of all time in LeBron and Kobe, but Ariza got to experience it firsthand. There is no right or wrong answer, but Bryant meant a lot to the Lakers and the city of L.A., bringing five championships and timeless memories. Then James brought a championship in 2020, hoping to bring one more and defying the odds by doing so.