Metta World Peace shockingly snubs LeBron James and Kobe Bryant from his all-time top 5 despite forming new list
Former LA Lakers champion Metta World Peace recently shared his new list of top five NBA players, which doesn't include LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. This comes as a surprise considering how World Peace had Bryant in his previous list shared in September. Aside from Bryant, his initial list also had Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell.
Fast forward a couple of months, Metta World Peace made a bizarre change to his list and decided to exclude his late teammate Kobe Bryant. Chamberlain, Jordan, and Russell remained in the list, while Larry Bird and Steph Curry were added.
Fans were flabbergasted, as he removed the man who gave him a ring in the first place. Some fans were also surprised that LeBron James isn't in it.
Do LeBron James and Kobe Bryant deserve to be in the top five?
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the all-time greats. Fans and analysts have constantly pitted the legends against each other in a debate about who's the better player between the two.
Bryant was a cold scorer who had a lot of grit and would never give up regardless of the circumstances. James, meanwhile, is a dominant freak of nature that many teams hve had difficulty stopping.
Both players have their respective strengths and weaknesses but are deserving of being on the list of all-time greats, but are they the top five?
Looking at LeBron James' career, he's playing in his 21st season and is soon turning 39. Despite his age, he remains a force to be reckoned with, and teams are still struggling to contain him. James is the all-time leading scorer with 38,829 points and counting. The record will be difficult to top, considering how LeBron isn't showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.
As for Kobe Bryant, while many analysts tend to rank him lower than he should be, "Mamba" is a deserving top-five player. He was one of the most lethal scorers in NBA history and often looked like a replica of Michael Jordan on the court. Bryant's killer mentality helped him and the LA Lakers win five championships.
In other words, there's no question that both Bryant and James are deserving candidates to be part of the all-time top five. It only comes down to an individual's preference if they're not on their list.