Stephon Marbury recently appeared on Mark Jackson’s “Come And Talk 2 Me” podcast, where he shared his thoughts on the ongoing GOAT debate. When asked to name the greatest of all time, Marbury chose Michael Jordan. He then went off on a tangent, expressing his belief that LeBron James shouldn’t be placed ahead of either Jordan or Kobe Bryant in the conversation.
“Jordan… This question is great for every podcast. It should be a standard question… I love other people’s answers, when they say different players. If they say someone other than Jordan, and LeBron. I never put LeBron with Jordan. I used to always say it’s between Kobe and Jordan,” said the former NBA star.
Marbury emphasized that both Jordan and Kobe, despite not having the same physical advantages as LeBron, still achieved greatness early in their careers, which he believes is a crucial factor in the debate.
Stephon Marbury’s case for Kobe Bryant over LeBron James
“When I look at Kobe, I’m like ‘How is LeBron better than Jordan when he is not better than Kobe?’. I’m just trying to figure that out. They get mad at me, and say I don’t like LeBron because he said something about my shoes. This is basketball. I go by your brain when watching basketball,” he reiterated.
Marbury emphasized the differences in playing styles between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, pointing out that James relies on his physical strength, whereas Bryant’s offensive game was marked by greater sophistication and finesse.
While the 47-year-old recognized LeBron’s extended career, he argued that James’ command of the game isn’t as refined as Bryant’s, focusing on the contrasting ways they approach scoring and playing the game.
Marbury argues that LeBron James boasts a higher field goal percentage than Kobe Bryant due to his frequent drives to the rim. James holds a career field goal percentage of 50.6%, while Bryant’s stands at 44.7%.
Kobe and LeBron’s differing play styles
The disparity isn’t solely because James drives to the basket for dunks and layups more frequently. It also relates to the kinds of shots taken and their overall difficulty. While Bryant was exceptional, he was often willing to attempt challenging shots that many would consider low-percentage. Though he made a fair number of those tough shots, he also had plenty of misses.
Bryant averaged 19.5 field goal attempts per game over his career, while LeBron James averages 19.6 attempts per game. The difference in their shot attempts is nonexistent.
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Despite the similar number of shot attempts, James boasts a significantly higher field goal percentage. This likely comes down to Bryant occasionally making questionable shot choices, while James typically made the most effective decision for his team.
While Stephon Marbury prefers Bryant’s style of play over James’, he pointed out one reason why he doesn’t place Bryant ahead of Michael Jordan. Marbury recognized that Bryant mastered replicating Jordan’s offensive game.
“The mirror of that is so unbelievable, the human being can literally use the basketball and make the same moves and have the same mannerisms. For somebody to do that is unbelievable. I pick Jordan first but I think I pick Kobe second because he’s a copy. It wasn’t original, but he had originality in his game. Don’t get it twisted,” Marbury continued.
Given Marbury’s preference for sophistication and finesse, it seems his GOAT rankings are set for the foreseeable future, with the top spots firmly in place.
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