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Patrick Beverley Backs Kobe Bryant In The GOAT Debate

Kobe Bryant was one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball and also was one of the most recognizable basketball figures worldwide.

But having said that, Kobe isn’t one of the most popular candidates when it comes to the Greatest Of All-Time debate – something that baffles Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley.

Beverley recently made an appearance on ‘The JJ Redick Podcast’ where he talked about different players such as Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard and the late Kobe Bryant. When asked if Bryant belongs in the GOAT debate, the veteran point guard gave a precise answer.

“Yes,” Beverley replied. “Game-changer. Game changer. When it comes to drive and determination, after Michael Jordan, who was it? But no one likes to say it for some reason. Kobe taught people how to work hard. He gave you the blueprint of what you should do to be a successful basketball player. People tend to forget about it.”

A lot of people see Kobe Bryant as a carbon copy of widely-regarded GOAT, Michael Jordan. However, it appears that the consensus only recognizes Bryant’s style of play being similar to Jordan, but not his dominance and greatness.

As a matter of fact, Bryant’s name doesn’t stick out when talking about the GOAT. A case in point was when the 13-part documentary ‘The Last Dance’ dropped earlier this year, the vast majority excluded the five-time NBA champion and came down to either picking Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the rightful owner of the ‘GOAT’ mantra.

Kobe Bryant had a legendary career with averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, earning five championships and two finals MVPs along the way with the Los Angeles Lakers.