"He knows ball": NBA fans react to premier sportscaster ranking Tim Duncan over Kobe Bryant all-time
ESPN’s Zach Lowe ignited discussions among fans by disclosing that he ranked San Antonio Spurs icon Tim Duncan higher than LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in his all-time players list.
In a recent episode of his "Lowe Post" podcast, the sportscaster revealed that he has consistently placed Tim Duncan above Kobe Bryant in his rankings.
“I’m not saying I’m definitively ranking [Duncan] over anybody. I’ve got to do the actual deep dive, but I have been pretty hard on the island of I think I’d rank him above Kobe for sure – well, not for sure, let me amend that – I think I would rank him above Kobe all-time,” he said.
“I think he’s probably closer to the sixth, seventh, eighth range…than he is the 12th, 13th, 14th range of all-time.
Several fans agreed with Lowe’s take, including X (formerly Twitter) user @spomuse, who said:
“He knows ball.”
User @Caio_Brayner added:
“That’s common sense. He has more accolades.”
Kobe Bryant was a five-time NBA champion with the Lakers and an 18-time NBA All-Star. He won the NBA League MVP award in 2008 and was named NBA Finals MVP twice. He was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and earned All-NBA First Team honors 11 times.
Tim Duncan is a two-time NBA League MVP and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team 10 times and earned 15 NBA All-Star selections. Duncan was also the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1998 and is a five-time NBA champion with the Spurs.
For @thaofficialkat, the Kobe vs Duncan debate is straightforward: it contrasts a player who was the greatest at his position with one who was not.
“Well I mean he’s (Duncan) the greatest PF of all time and Kobe ain’t the greatest SG of all time so this is a solid take,” he said.
Here are other reactions to Lowe’s Kobe vs Duncan take:
Comparing Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant's Stats
Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant, both Hall of Famers, are notable for spending their entire NBA careers with a single team while achieving considerable success.
In their regular-season matchups, Duncan holds the advantage with 31 wins, compared to Bryant's 21 victories against him.
In the playoffs, Bryant has the upper hand, winning 18 games and losing 12 to Duncan.
Statistically, Bryant led in scoring, assists and steals, averaging 25.0 points, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game throughout his career.
Conversely, Duncan excelled in rebounding, blocking and field goal efficiency, with averages of 10.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and a shooting percentage of 50.6%.
Both players have won five championships and made 15 All-NBA teams. However, Bryant earned 11 First-Team All-NBA selections, one more than Duncan.
Duncan surpasses Bryant in All-Defensive Team selections with 15 compared to Bryant's 12 and has one additional MVP and Finals MVP award.
Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, which is three more than Duncan.