Hall of Fame forward Dennis Rodman addressed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's greatness in a recent interview, which has been a topic of debate among NBA circles this summer. Not that anyone is questioning his cultural impact. However, after Bleacher Report left Bryant outside its top 10 of 100 greatest NBA players, it did ruffle some feathers, including Hall of Fame players who faced Kobe during their playing days.
Rodman hopes Bryant is never left out of a GOAT debate, as he views the Lakers legend as one of the best to ever play the game, he said, in a recent interview with social media influencer N3on, per Lakers Nation.
“We know who that is, Jordan, all day long. Get mad at me all you want. Guess what? People forgot about that one guy. That one guy, that’s called Kobe Bryant,” Rodman said. “People forget about him. They talk about everybody else. They don’t talk about Kobe for some reason.”
From a Hall of Fame forward who won three championships alongside Jordan, Rodman speaking up on Bryant's behalf says a lot for the level of respect he had for Kobe. Bryant entered the league in 1996, weeks after Rodman's first championship with the Chicago Bulls.
After winning back-to-back titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1990, Dennis Rodman was a five-time champion by 1998. He was also briefly teammates with Bryant the following season (1998-99), which lasted for only 23 regular-season games. Rodman, who once averaged a career-best 18.7 rebounds for the Pistons, is considered to be one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history.
Dwyane Wade blasts Bleacher Report's Kobe Bryant ranking
Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade blasted Bleacher Report's Kobe Bryant ranking for being outside the top 10. For Wade, most players who faced Bryant would have him in their top three, he said, per Wy Network.
“If you wanna ask us hoopers who played against Kob, all of us are going to talk top 3 [all time],” Wade said. “We're all gonna talk top 3, if you played against Mamba. But to assume somebody's opinion who's never played against Kobe or have never played the game of basketball at the level that we play it at, having him at 11, why am I up in arms about something like that?”
Bryant's former teammate, Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, also responded to B/R's top 100 list. Shaq called the list “criminal” for ranking Kobe, who was listed as No. 11, so low.
