Yes he is. Some think he is the GOAT and he arguably isn't even the GOAT of his own era (Shaq, Duncan). When you arguably weren't the greatest of your time then you are overrated when folks constantly try to make you the greatest of all time. You can be great and overrated. Even his ring count is overrated, as if he led 5 teams to titles. Have you seen any other instance where a secondary option got primary option credit for a championship run like folks attempt to do with Bryant? I've heard other ridiculous arguments like the conference Finals were the real Finals, his amazing longevity (see Duncan, Malone, and others), threshhold for pain, etc.
I'll give you 51 seconds why: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ysmLA5TqbIY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I don't think you will find very many knowledgeable basketball fans that will argue that Kobe is the GOAT. There are some people out there that love him so much that they would say that but I think that is very far from the majority. I'd guess at least 95-98% of knowledgeable fans wouldn't say he is the GOAT. Giving him the overrated tag because there are some delusional fans of his out there is unfair.
LeBron gets criticized for embracing analytics and becoming hyper efficient? Honestly these criticisms are some of the most idiotic and uneducated I've ever come across. Learn to think please.
This. Not only that though, Kobe has never been the best player in the league even for a single season (his MVP was a lifetime achievement because CP3 was better in pretty much every facet that year, as was LeBron). How can you possibly rank Kobe in the upper tier (top-10 of all-time as many have him) when this is the case? To a true student of the game, Kobe is much more on par with a player like Dominique Wilkins than Jordan. And this is because both 'Nique is so underrated and Kobe is so overrated. For those that mock this comparison, take a look at the numbers these two tallied over their careers and see if you can even distinguish them. Then realize that 'Nique was on terrible teams his whole career while Kobe was gifted some of the best players in the league. To put Kobe in the same tier as guys like Jordan, Magic, Bird, or LBJ is just an insult to those players.
That's fine. The point is to form your own opinion based on objective analysis. I don't think you can make a case for Kobe in the top-10 based on that, unless you really heavily weight longevity. Also, the fact that Kobe's teams have always fared well when he has sat out is significant.
I think a top 5 Kobe argument is ridiculous while a top 10 argument requires some stretching. But I also think the way that guys that actually played view him should carry quite a bit of weight. We can be objective all we want but guys that played have a whole different level of perspective that we will never have.
Unfortunately he is. One of the best SGs to ever play...yes... Top 5 all time player? Nope. Best Laker to ever play? Nope. But some people will argue that he is, he's a great player though and when he retires I'll honestly miss the guy. He was as entertaining as any player that's for sure...and sometimes for the wrong reasons...
