When discussing the greatest basketball players of all time, the majority name either Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the best of the best. There’s good reason for that too, with both men dominating the association like no one else ever has. Many think Jordan is the greatest, but others think LeBron and his incredible longevity over the last 22 years has usurped the former Chicago Bulls star. Regardless of which one is named the best, though, the other is more often than not in second place.
Horace Grant played with Jordan in Chicago and named him the former shooting guard as the greatest ever, but he zagged when it came to who he felt was the second best and didn’t go with James. Instead, he went with another of his former teammates in Kobe Bryant. Grant spent the 2000/01 and the 2003/04 seasons with the Lakers and Bryant and while their time together was brief, Black Mamba clearly left a lasting impression on him as he revealed he thought Bryant was the second-best player ever.
Grant Saw Some MJ in Bryant
Early in his career, Grant spent seven years with the Bulls and won three NBA championships playing alongside Michael Jordan. As a result, he witnessed the shooting guard’s greatness up close and had no doubt when naming him the greatest player of all time, per Basketball Network. That news shouldn’t surprise too many people, with MJ sitting atop of most GOAT lists, but it was when he decided to name his second-greatest player ever that the former small forward raised some eyebrows.
During an appearance on his former teammate, Stacey King’s podcast, he praised Bryant and, as quoted by Basketball Network, said:
“If you pin me down to pick my GOAT, it would be MJ. With all respect to LeBron and Kobe and many other players that you can argue as the GOAT. But I’ve seen Kobe Bryant when Shaq will foul out, got in foul trouble. I thought I was looking at Michael Jordan, how he took over games, and led us to victory many times when Shaq was on the bench with foul trouble and what have you. But I would say, MJ 1 and Kobe 1-A.”
After several years with the Orlando Magic and a single season with the Seattle Supersonics, Grant joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and won a title with Bryant before he left to rejoin the Magic. After one year back in Florida, though, he was cut by the team and decided to retire. He ultimately came out of retirement in 2003 to spend a final season back with the Purple and Gold before walking away from basketball permanently.
About Author
You may also like
-
Arsenal boss Arteta laughs about Postecoglou’s Spurs sacking
-
Arsenal boss Arteta laughs about Postecoglou’s Spurs sacking
-
Roy Keane Says Ian Wright Is On Arsenal’s ‘Wage Bill’ As They Clash Over Liverpool
-
Gianluigi Donnarumma’s Height Compared To James Trafford
-
Rico Lewis pens five-year deal at Man City after rejecting Nottingham Forest transfer