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Charles Barkley’s Best Players List Has Lakers Star in Top Five, but It’s Not LeBron or Kobe
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley revealed which players he believes are the best in NBA history in a recent appearance on The Howard Eskin Show. But he controversially left Los Angeles Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James out of his top five.
“Michael (Jordan), Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), and Wilt (Chamberlain). Those are my top five. Bill Russell, Wilt, and Kareem, no particular order, but those are my five,” Barkley said.
Jordan is considered by many, including James, to be the greatest player of all time. James has frequently called Jordan his biggest inspiration in basketball and even called him “Black Jesus”.
Robertson was another NBA superstar and became the first player in history to average a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62. Russell was an NBA-record 11-time NBA champion and five-time NBA Most Valuable Player with the Boston Celtics.
Both Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar played for the Lakers at some point during their careers. Chamberlain won the 1972 NBA championship with the Lakers and was named the 1972 NBA Finals MVP. A few years later, Abdul-Jabbar and the “Showtime” Lakers won five NBA championships during the 1980s.
Barkley Included Bryant and James in His Top 10 Players in NBA History
Although Bryant and James did not make Barkley’s top five list, the pair were ranked No. 6 and No. 7 by the 11-time NBA All-Star.
“I’ve got six as Kobe Bryant. Seven is LeBron… Then I’ve got Magic (Johnson), (Larry) Bird, Jerry West, and probably Tim Duncan. That’s my top ten. But this is all personal opinion. I’m never putting anybody ahead of those first five. As much as I love LeBron as a player, I don’t think he’s better than Kobe Bryant.”
Bryant won five NBA championships with Los Angeles and was named the 2008 NBA MVP. Meanwhile, James won the 2020 NBA championship with the Lakers and was the NBA Finals MVP that season.
The two Los Angeles legends never played on the Lakers together. James joined the team in 2018 two years after Bryant retired in 2016. But the duo won two Olympic gold medals together in 2008 and 2012.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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