Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey believes that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Bryant, who tragically passed away in January of 2020 in a helicopter accident, led the Lakers to five NBA titles during his storied NBA career.
“Bey is a Kobe Bryant stan,” The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III wrote. “Most 20-and-30-somethings who grew up watching the prime years of the late, great Lakers star are. However, Bey takes it to another level. He’s got the Mamba logo tattooed on his upper arm. If you ask him privately, he’ll tell you that he believes Kobe is the greatest player of all time.”
During his playing career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards and a regular season MVP award.
There’s no doubt that Bryant is one of the greatest players in NBA history, but Bey is certainly giving him a major compliment by putting him above the likes of LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Jordan and James are widely considered to be the two greatest players of all time, but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Clearly, Bryant had a massive impact on Bey’s love for basketball.
Bryant inspired a major generation of basketball players that are now in the NBA, including stars like Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker all the way to an up-and-coming player like Bey.
This season, Bey is averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc for the Pistons. It’s been a bit of a down year in the efficiency department for the forward, who is in his third NBA season out of Villanova University.
Bey is coming off a game where he channeled his inner Bryant, hitting a game-winning shot against the Golden State Warriors.
TALK TO 'EM🗣️ https://t.co/auaDG4NNSw pic.twitter.com/6UtDcxtr07
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 5, 2023
Even though the Pistons are struggling this season, Bey appears to have a bright future ahead of him in the NBA as a versatile wing. He has shown over his first three seasons that he can play both forward spots and be efficient from beyond the arc.
It’s cool to see Bryant’s legacy still showing in some of the players in today’s NBA.
