Within the “greatest player of all time” argument in the NBA, you will find a group that will maintain to this day that Kobe Bryant is above everyone.
While the current debate raging about who the NBA’s GOAT is revolves around LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan and whether James’ statistical accomplishments outweigh Jordan’s stats plus championships, there is a vocal minority that will still go to battle for the Lakers legend. Kobe backers in the GOAT debate tend to be those that were in their formative years in the early 2000s, especially those that grew up as Lakers fans.
Kobe was an icon to many and it appears one of those that still believes Bean is the NBA’s best ever is now a teammate of LeBron. Isaiah Thomas’ affinity for Bryant’s sneakers is well known, but as he explained to Complex’s Joe La Puma in the latest Sneaker Shopping, he wears Kobe’s shoes on the court to “support the best player to ever play.” (4:45 mark of the below video)
He first says Kobe is his favorite player of all time, which is one thing to say, but his capper of “best player to ever play” is the one that will draw the most attention. Thomas is entitled to his opinion, as is every other NBA fan, but when you play with LeBron and for a franchise whose fans are fiercely loyal to the idea that LeBron is, if not the GOAT, at the least superior to Kobe this opinion might not go over especially well.
