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Shannon Sharpe says Kobe Bryant is not a top 5 player of all time
- Updated: July 10, 2021
A lot of people probably have Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in their list of top five players of all time. Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe is not one of them.
Shannon Sharpe says Kobe Bryant is not a top five player of all-time
"In the history of sports, I dont know if we have ever had a guy rank top 5 with only 1 MVP." pic.twitter.com/tuqmUxjzZ3
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 10, 2021
Contrary to Sharpe’s opinion, the late Bryant certainly has a case for being one of the five best players ever.
He is the fourth-leading scorer in league history, amassing 33,643 points in 20 seasons. The shooting guard also recorded the second-highest score in a game with 81 points.
Of course, the 18-time NBA All-Star is not just known for his scoring prowess, but also for his all-around game. He has career averages of 25.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Aside from his impressive regular season accolades, Bryant also proved he could turn it up in the playoffs. He won five NBA championships, including a three-peat while he was still in his early 20s.
The only knack on his resume, as Sharpe pointed out, was his lack of more MVP awards. However, one can argue that Bryant deserved to win at least one more, particularly in 2006 when he averaged 35.4 points per contest and dragged the Lakers to the postseason that year.