Los Angeles Lakers forward Juan Toscano-Anderson gave an interesting take about his top five NBA players ever, placing Kobe Bryant over LeBron James.
Toscano-Anderson explained that he doesn’t put players that he never saw play in his top five, eliminating Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Bill Russell and others from the conversation.
“Mike is the god, though,” Toscano-Anderson said. “He is who he is. We all know that.”
The Lakers forward then went on to explain his top five, which was a Lakers-heavy list including Bryant, James and Shaquille O’Neal.
“So for me, Kob is No. 1, Bron No. 2, Steph (Stephen Curry) No. 3, Shaq 4 and probably Timmy (Tim Duncan) No. 5.” Toscano-Anderson said.
It’s interesting that Toscano-Anderson put Bryant over his current teammate in James, although Bryant had an unbelievably impressive career in the NBA.
Over his storied NBA career, Bryant was named to 18 All-Star teams and won two scoring titles. He was a five-time NBA champion and won the NBA Finals MVP award two times. 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 for his career.
He will forever be one of the most important figures in Lakers history, as he led the team to tremendous success during his career.
Not many people would have Bryant as their No. 1 over James and Jordan, but it appears that Toscano-Anderson appreciated the impact that Bryant left on the game during his career.
James, a four-time champion, has accomplished a little bit more in the personal accolades department than Bryant, and he’s on pace to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
Since coming to the Lakers, James has led the team to an NBA title in the 2019-20 season, but the team has made the playoffs just two times with him on the roster. The Lakers are hoping to get back to the postseason in the 2022-23 campaign and are playing much better as of late after a slow start.
There are so many different ways to rank players all time, and it’s worth everyone having their opinion, such as Toscano-Anderson’s. Bryant had an everlasting impact on the game, and players in Toscano-Anderson’s era certainly appreciate his greatness.
It’s possible that James can get his teammate to change his rankings if he can will the Lakers to an NBA title this season.
