https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2711662.amp.html Scottie Pippen isn't ready to compare LeBron James to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, and it's not just because he has fewer rings. Rather, Pippen told ESPN's Cari Champion on a Wednesday edition of SportsCenter (h/t Chris Walder of theScore)he thinks James shouldn't be compared to Jordan or Bryant because they play different positions. "I don't think he's [LeBron] surpassed Kobe [Bryant] at all, no," Pippen said. "And I don't think he [LeBron] should be compared to either of those players [Jordan or Bryant] because they play different positions. "Kobe and Michael [Jordan] are both 2-guards. They're both scorers. They're mostly like a Kyrie [Irving]. They're looking to score the basketball when it hits their hand. They're not looking to make plays for anyone on the floor. They're not looking to be a facilitator. That's the role that LeBron plays because he's such a dominant and powerful force, and he's a great passer." To Pippen's point, LeBron is a far more accomplished playmaker than either Jordan or Bryant was. Specifically, he's averaged seven assists per game over the course of 14 NBA seasons. By comparison, Jordan and Bryant averaged 5.3 and 4.7 per contest, respectively. "I think he plays a lot more like Magic. A lot more like myself, how I played," Pippen said. "Obviously he's more dominant than both me and Magic because of the way that he plays the game—his physicality, his athleticism surpass Magic, as well as me." It is worth noting, however, that James owns a higher career scoring average (27.1 points per game) than Bryant (25.0 points per game). Jordan, meanwhile, tops the NBA's all-time list with a career scoring average of 30.1 points per game. Ultimately, comparing James to greats may be something of a futile pursuit. Arguably the most unique talent the NBA has ever seen, James is the only player since 1946 who has sustained averages of at least 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds over the course of his career.
The real story is that Pippen used a position scale. Kobe and MJ were categorized by Pippen as guards and that changes the dynamic of this subject.
I agree with the idea (and have said it myself) that it's essentially impossible to compare outliers like James, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain. Each was unique, they got to their best-everness in different ways. Which you like better is likely going to boil down to subjective measures like who's style you like better, which aspects of the game matter most to you, etc. James has long since surpassed Bryant, though.
LeBron is miles ahead of Kobe, I mean Kobe was a great player but imo he was never the face of a generation like MJ, Magic/Bird, and LeBron have been.
I dislike the metric of number of rings as a big part of the measure of a players greatness. I understand it being a small part of the equation, but rings have so much more to do with things other than a single players "greatness". You have to have to right support players the right coach etc... etc... Now days it's all about the super teams which can skew the whole thing too.
If it comes down to rings then Sam Jones was the second greatest ever behind Bill Russell. In order of most rings... 11 Bill Russell Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69 10 Sam Jones Boston Celtics 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69 8 John Havlicek Boston Celtics 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1973-74, 1975-76 8 Tom Heinsohn Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65 8 K.C. Jones Boston Celtics 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66 8 Tom Sanders Boston Celtics 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69 7 Robert Horry Houston Rockets 1993-94, 1994-95 Los Angeles Lakers 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02 San Antonio Spurs 2004-05, 2006-07 7 Jim Loscutoff Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64 7 Frank Ramsey Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64 6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers 1979-80, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88 Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71 6 Bob Cousy Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63 6 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 6 Scottie Pippen Chicago Bulls 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 5 Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10 5 Michael Cooper Los Angeles Lakers 1979-80, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88 5 Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 1998-99, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2013-14 5 Derek Fisher Los Angeles Lakers 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10 5 Ron Harper Chicago Bulls 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 Los Angeles Lakers 1999-00, 2000-01 5 Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers 1979-80, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88 5 Steve Kerr Chicago Bulls 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs 1998-99, 2002-03 5 Slater Martin Minneapolis Lakers 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54 St. Louis Hawks 1957-58 5 George Mikan Minneapolis Lakers 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54 5 Don Nelson Boston Celtics 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1973-74, 1975-76 5 Jim Pollard Minneapolis Lakers 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54 5 Dennis Rodman Chicago Bulls 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 Detroit Pistons 1988-89, 1989-90 5 Larry Siegfried Boston Celtics 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69 4 Manu Ginobili Ridiculous notion and should ONLY be used as the LAST dividing metric after nothing else has presented a separation.
And am I not the only one that thinks Pippen is looking more and more like a cartoon character of some sort? Maybe a Mad Magazine Character?
