Colin Cowherd says Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently better than Kobe Bryant was during his prime years

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: May 5, 2022

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is enjoying a solid run in the playoffs right now, and it’s forcing some people to reconsider where they rank him among other all-time great players.

According to sports pundit Colin Cowherd, Antetokounmpo is currently playing better than Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant did in his prime.

“Remember, Kobe was a volume scorer,” Cowherd said. “He was not efficient. Giannis is efficient. … This is hard. Come on. These are not easy questions. See, I don’t like flash and glamour. I like the midrange.”

Someone taking Antetokounmpo over Bryant would have seemed outrageous even a couple years ago, but it is starting to become more and more logical as time goes on. After all, the Greek Freak is already a two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion.

He may soon be a two-time champ as well, as his team has played well so far this postseason.

It’s worth noting that Cowherd is not arguing who is the better player ever, and he’s also not arguing who’s had a greater impact on the game. Those considerations likely still have to favor Bryant.

With that in mind, it is becoming clearer with each passing game that Antetokounmpo really has a chance to become one of the greatest to ever step on a basketball court by the time his career comes to an end. Hopefully, that will be many years from now.

As for Bryant, he surely would have loved to continue watching Antetokounmpo’s rise to stardom in Milwaukee. After all, the two represent a dying breed of players that are committed to winning with one team and one team only.