Magic Johnson defends claim that Kobe is the best Laker of all-time
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kobe Bryant retired over a month ago, but the arguments regarding his polarizing legacy are already beginning.
Former Laker great Magic Johnson has repeatedly called Bryant the greatest Lakers player ever -- most notably before Bryant's final game against the Utah Jazz on April 13 -- yet many feel Johnson is selling himself and former teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar short.
One of those people is ABC's late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel, who had Johnson on his show as a guest last week to discuss Bryant and the Lakers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Johnson double-down on his assertion that Bryant is the best to ever wear purple and gold, Kimmel suggested Johnson himself is probably the correct choice, and mentioned Abdul-Jabbar as a legitimate candidate too (h/t Inside The Lakers):
"He and I both have five championships," Johnson said. "He did it his way with dominating the scoring and really putting the team on his back. And I did it my way with my leadership and really trying to make sure that I put our team in a position to win. And I did that. At the end of the day, who cares, whether it's him or I?
"But he has represented this city and the Lakers organization as well as anybody could."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Watch the full interview below:
Your opinion on the matter likely comes down to your sensibilities.
Do you value scoring, competitiveness and longevity? Then Bryant is your choice.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Do you prefer leadership, flashy passing and efficiency? Then it's Johnson.
And if you prefer fundamentals, post play and goggles? Well, then Abdul-Jabbar is your guy.
There are several logical choices -- Jerry West, George Mikan and Elgin Baylor belong in the conversation as well -- and no way of determining the clear winner. It's purely subjective, like many things in sports analysis. That's what's made the Lakers so great -- they've had a laundry list of Hall of Famers, and when you're dealing with players of that caliber, you're simply splitting hairs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(With that said, Johnson is clearly the greatest Laker ever.)