Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
It’s unfortunate that it’s been a while since Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant passed away. He died in a helicopter crash in January of 2020, and there are plenty of people who still struggle to cope with his passing.
Bryant has made headlines long after his passing after he was recently slotted at a controversial spot in Bleacher Report’s ranking of the 100 best players in NBA history.
Surprisingly, Bleacher Report ranked Bryant at the No. 11 spot and outside of the top 10, and plenty of folks found the placement disrespectful.
NBA free agent Jae Crowder, who was fortunate enough to play in the league during the twilight of Bryant’s NBA career, took to X to express his disgust at the recent disrespect shown to Bryant.
It’s worth noting that he doesn’t explicitly reference the Bleacher Report article, though.
Even Bryant’s former star teammate on the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal, called out Bleacher Report for having ranked 10 players ahead of the five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was ranked ahead of Bryant, and while he’s the best 3-point shooter the NBA has ever seen, he has only one Finals MVP award to show for his four championships won. Bryant, on the other hand, won two Finals MVPs and five championships.
Players whom some folks over at Bleacher Report may have never even saw play live were also controversially ranked above Bryant on the all-time list. Former big man Wilt Chamberlain was slotted at the No. 9 spot, while Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell was ranked at the No. 5 spot.
Both Russell and Chamberlain had wrapped up their NBA stints by the early 1970s. Russell’s final season was in the 1968-69 campaign, and Chamberlain last played in the league in the 1972-73 season.
NBA fans have a right to be discouraged about Bryant not finding himself within the top 10 on Bleacher Report’s list of the 100 greatest players in league history. He is one of the best players ever to step foot on an NBA court and perhaps deserves more recognition for all he accomplished in the league.
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