Drexler is a strange inclusion. He was well past his prime by the time Kobe entered the league. Its like Kobe didn't want to show respect to other guards that he faced (except, of course, Michael Jordan)?
As flattering as it is, are Hakeem, MJ, and Clyde really considered in "his era"... I'd say in Kobe era (I'd say that is 99 - 2013) 1. Lebron 2. Duncan 3. Shaq (only player on this list that was dominant in both eras FYI) 4. Durant 5. Dirk Honorable mentions - Nash, Kidd, Garnett, McGrady, Iverson, Paul Pierce?.... If you add in Kobe to the top 5 list of that era I think him and Lebron are 1 & 1A. Ultimately Lebron is the better player though so I'd have to put Kobe at #2 though even though Kobe's accomplishments put him right there with him.
I'd put Garnett ahead of Durant and Nowitzki. And Chris Paul should get honorable mention, even if he never got to the Finals.
Clyde.... showing love for the SG's Too bad more than half those players aren't his era, maybe he meant who he faced. He's also clearly disrespecting Duncan and Shaq FIFY He's been very close though #clutchcity
Yeah, I think you're right that Kobe was mentioning players that he was most excited to play against and who's game he really respected. Jordan and Drexler because they were the guys he probably grew up watching and idolized to some extent. Hakeem because Hakeem was awesome. And then you have LeBron and Durant who are the best offensive talents in the last 8 years that Kobe may have matched up against.
I dunno... if we are talking about overall "best" I have a really hard time leaving off Durant. I mean what a freaking talent, and had he not been playing in the Lebron era the years prior to the foot injuries it would be no question MVP seasons. Durant is a talent that we haven't seen in maybe ever. Now from a resume standpoint, and taking into account defense, yeah Garnett has a bone to pick. Oh, and CP3... yeah I'd say between him, Kidd, and Nash... I'd put them all on the list as far as talent goes but he's not nowhere near the accomplishments though. Talent wise, the guy is right there. Pure basketball instincts are right there with the all time greats.
I hate how forgotten Clyde is. I think it has to do with his style. He was very old school and a great gentleman. He didn't have any of that "swag." He was the same as a young man as he is today as an older man. Also the balding head didn't help his appearance. Fans of today have something against players who wore short shorts and had dad hairs back in the day. Old school white players get it the worst from fans of today. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WR5DCIZTkpM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
SG respect SG. Clyde was leaving the league just as Kobe was entering. How strange. No Shaq, Duncan or even AI, T-Mac, KG, etc.
Spiteful until the end. Refusing to name Duncan, Shaq, etc... instead he names people he's never played against at a high level along with his fellow Nike employees.
I remember talk in the first meeting of Chicago vs Portland, people were skeptical of CHI's ability to repeat, not really sold on Pippen that much, and Cartwright/Grant would have serious trouble with Portland front-line depth...and Drexler, Porter and Ainge would offset CHI's backcourt, despite MJ. Drexler scored over 25 ppg on a very deep team, after all. Fans (me included) saw the depth of Portland and said Drexler was going to be able to come close to matching MJ's points, and make it difficult for CHI to prevail. People said Drexler was a better shooter, more range -- MJ rarely shot threes and not at a good clip. Drexler was getting a LOT of respect. So much respect, that it appears to have pissed off Jordan, who walked out onto the court of the 1st game and mad 5 three-pointers in the 1st quarter...and Chicago destroyed them by more than 30 pts. The famous Jordan shrug meme is from after he hit his 5th three in that game. Drexler, however unfairly so, was just hugely overshadowed by MJ after that. And after their 2nd loss in a row to CHI in the Finals, Drexler seemed to have become deflated, with two of his worst years of his career following, only to be revived by his reunitement with Dream. And we don't beat Utah, PHO and SAS three sets in a row without him, because he was faced against three slow white guys in a row -- Hornachek, Ainge and Del Negro ... LOLs
I don't think he's forgotten at all. He was basically on the same level as MJ until their showdown in 92 and Jordan showed that he was the superior player. Even then I think Drexler is a top 5 SG all time. If you want to talk about forgotten it's definitely Mitch Richmond. He completely flew under the radar.
Mitch was fun to watch and one of my favorite players but he's nowhere near the stratum of Drexler, much less Jordan.
