LeBron James is among the greatest players of all time, with some even have him as their GOAT. However, one of his LA Lakers teammates only has him as second, behind the late, great Kobe Bryant.
In an appearance on "Throwing Bones" with Draymond Green on UNINTERRUPTED, Juan Toscano-Anderson discussed his top five greatest NBA players. Despite being in his first season in LA, Toscano-Anderson had his list filled with Lakers legends.
"So for me, Kob is No. 1, Bron No. 2, Steph (Curry) No. 3, Shaq, 4, and probably Timmy (Duncan) No. 5," Toscano-Anderson said.
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Some might not agree with Juan Toscano-Anderson's list, as it does not have players such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Toscano-Anderson explained that he did not add any players he was unable to watch growing up.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan have dominated the NBA since the 2000s. At least one of these five players were in the NBA Finals from 2000 to 2020.
Toscano-Anderson did acknowledge Jordan's greatness by putting him on a different pedestal than his top five players.
"Mike is the God, though," Toscano-Anderson said. "He is who he is. We all know that."
LeBron James is Draymond Green's GOAT
In the same discussion on "Throwing Bones," Draymond Green also gave his top five players in NBA history. Green had LeBron James at No. 1 over Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Shaquille O'Neal.
"Bron started in '03," Green said. "By 2005, Bron was the best player in the NBA. In 2020, he was still the best player in the NBA. He was the best player in the NBA no matter what the game did. The game went from two slugs, like two big men, to like, a stretch four big man, back to two big men, to no big men, and he's been the best no matter what."
Green further explained why "The King" is better than Michael Jordan. He gave credit to James for beating the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals despite being down 3-1.
"MJ didn't beat the greatest team ever assembled, nor did he run up against the greatest team ever assembled every year," Green said. "There's nobody that has ever played the game of basketball that can do what LeBron James does on a basketball court. Nobody."
The GOAT debate will likely get more heated once James becomes the NBA's all-time leading scorer. James is expected to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record later this season.
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