Dwyane Wade called Kobe Bryant the “greatest player of our era.”
Wade’s Heat teammate, Chris Bosh, paid similar deference to Kobe.
Bosh on Kobe, via The Dan Patrick Show:
He’s the greatest player of my generation. He was that guy after Mike that really just won, and he was about winning championships. And he really did it a young age. When they three-peated, he was 21, 22 years old. It was just amazing to see him climb up so high, so fast. They did have their struggles, but he was still a great player – one of the greatest I’ve ever seen, of course.
I still disagree.
Tim Duncan – better than Kobe. LeBron James – better than Kobe.
That’s not to denigrate Kobe, who’s an all-time great. He falls behind only a couple players in the pecking order.
Just because he’s retiring doesn’t mean we must whitewash his flaws (inefficient shooting, selfishness, steep decline). His accomplishments are impressive enough when assessed fairly.