NBA history is full of futile and never-ending debates. People often talk about the greatest team of all time, the toughest NBA championship, and even the most overrated and underrated players ever.
Lately, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Geen has contributed to fueling that fire on a nearly dailybasis, constantly engaging in subjective debates about dynasties, players, and basketball eras.
Most recently, the four-time NBA champion took the liberty of putting together his all-time starting five. Notably, he claimed he wanted to include Kobe Bryant in it, but there was just no way around it.
NBA News: Draymond Green Reveals His All-Time Starting Five
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
“My all-time starting five is Shaq at the 5 and Steph at the 1. I got LeBron James at the 3. Now, again, this is where the eras and stuff gets tricky because what era of basketball am I talking about? But I’m just going to talk basketball in the sense of who I think will make a great five.
Steph at the 1, Shaq at the 5, LeBron at the 3, Timmy D at the 4. And did you think I was going to go anywhere other than MJ at the 2? You got to be out of your mind.
Although I must say, Kobe was a very close second, a very close second for me on my starting five.”
Bryant has been a subject of debate and controversy in these scenarios. Some believe he’s an undisputed top-5 player of all-time, while others believe he’s an all-time great, but not among the best of the best.
Kobe or not, that’s quite an impressive lineup, for sure. At the end of the day, you could go either way and would still have an all-timer. But hey, Green did shout him out, and he did include Shaquille O’Neal, so it’s all cool, Lakers fans, let him be.