If the question of the best of all time continues to hold in suspense in all areas these days, the legendary French Tony Parker has his GOAT between LeBron, Jordan and Kobe in the NBA.
Tony Parker is one of the rare players to have faced three of the biggest names in basketball history: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Arriving in the NBA in 2001, the Frenchman experienced the last years of Jordan, the exploits of Kobe with the Lakers and the rise of LeBron with the Cavaliers then the Heat. Four times champion with Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, the French legend had the privilege of crossing swords with these American legends on several occasions. But who does he think is the best?
Jordan the best of the best for Parker
Invited by Konbini in 2020 to look back on his exceptional career, Parker did not hesitate to give his clear opinion on the question of the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). For him, there is no photo: it is Jordan who deserves this title. “I played against LeBron and Kobe in their prime and against Jordan at the end of their career and for me, the best of all time is Jordan“, did he declare.
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Parker said he was impacted by Jordan’s exploits in the ’90s, when he dominated the league with the Bulls. He also highlighted the difficulty of winning multiple NBA titles, comparing himself to LeBron and Curry, who failed to match MJ’s six rings. “When you look at the history of the NBA, one of the best players of all time, LeBron, he is only 3 rings away (4 now, editor’s note). Same for Steph Curry (also 4 nowadays, editor’s note). It’s hard to win 4, 5, let alone 6 rings like Jordan. It’s very, very hard”, he said.
Kobe, Jordan’s dolphin for TP
And if Jordan is the GOAT for Tony Parker, Kobe is not far behind. The Frenchman admitted a greater respect for the Black Mamba than for LeBron. “Kobe was incredible. Afterwards, LeBron, of course, he is very, very strong but I found that Kobe was even stronger! When we played the Lakers with the Spurs, it was a big rivalry. So I never told myself that we had beaten the best player in the world twice (in the Finals), because for me, it was Kobe at that moment!”, he confided.
Tony Parker therefore has his personal ranking of the three GOATs he met on the courts: Jordan in the lead, followed by Kobe and finally LeBron. A choice which can be debated, but which testifies to the exceptional experience of the French leader in the NBA.
2023-09-16 21:03:30
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