Kobe Bryant isn’t lacking admirers — or haters, but on even Wednesday night, haters are going to love Kobe. You can add one more to the list of people who will be all over the Black Mamba against the Jazz: Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Flea gave perhaps the highest compliment possible to Bryant, at least when it comes to musical comparisons:
I look at him as someone like, you know, Charlie Parker or John Coltrane or Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix, you know? He’s been able to change and evolve and grow and be such a master of his craft. It’s been great seeing him grow up, because he joined the Lakers when he was 17, and he’s done so much for our city.
…
To me, Kobe is just like a great artist or a great writer or a great musician. A great basketball player really affects me in an emotional and spiritual way. So I really respect Kobe Bryant. I’m really grateful for him.
To Flea’s point, Bryant really has evolved, both in his game and in other ways. And, yes, Kobe is worthy of the “GOAT” label even though several other basketball players are as well. And that’s where things get interesting with Flea: For all the praise he heaped upon Bryant for being this transcendent talent, he still doesn’t consider Bryant the greatest Laker of all time.
“For me, Magic Johnson is the greatest player of all time,” Flea told the magazine. “I kinda have to put Kobe third…they’re all different players, you know?”
Go figure.
(Via Rolling Stone)
