Watch: "They talk about comparing him to Mike" - Shaquille O'Neal shares a video of Allen Iverson outlining Kobe Bryant's impact on NBA
Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal took to his Instagram account to share a video of Allen Iverson waxing lyrical about the greatness of Kobe Bryant.
Allen Iverson, the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar, spoke about how cold-blooded Kobe Bryant was like Michael Jordan and how people don't mention Bryant in the greatest of all time debate. Iverson said:
"When they talk about comparing [LeBron] to Mike…I don’t understand how they don’t have the debate when it come to Kobe. You forgot or something? I really think they forgot. The Mamba, man."
Iverson continued:
"I'm talking about a certified killer, dog, every single night. I've never seen nobody kill like 23 and 24 and 8."
Iverson and Kobe have had some memorable battles over the years, but more often than not the latter was surrounded by better teammates. The most memorable one was Iverson's Sixers taking on the Lakers, led by Shaq and Kobe, in the 2001 NBA Finals. Iverson produced one of the greatest individual performances in Game 1 of the series against a Lakers side that were heavily favorites coming into the series. However, the series ended in five games as the Lakers won the next four to repeat as champions.
Remembering Kobe Bryant's final game
Kobe Bryant was the backbone of the Los Angeles Lakers for well over a decade and is arguably the greatest Laker of all time. The Mamba was their talisman and the man they turned to for big occasions. But his final game for the Lakers was an emotional night in front of a packed Staples Center, who saw their favorite son play for the last time.
Kobe Bryant averaged just over 28 minutes in his final season. He averaged 17.6 points on a little over 35% shooting from the field. Kobe's 20th season in the league was an injury-ravaged one. It showed how much his body endured in his two decades in the NBA.
5 years ago today 💜💛
Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final NBA game. https://t.co/xE7qaLDLla
However, Kobe Bryant was only going to end things his way. In the final game of his career, the Lakers played the Utah Jazz at home. Bryant played a mammoth 42 minutes, scoring a ridiculous 60 points on 44% shooting from the floor. Kobe also racked up four rebounds and four assists.
The most outrageous number from his statline of the night was the 50 field goal attempts that he had, which included 21 from beyond the arc. Kobe also shot 12 free throws that night and made 10 of them.
It was later revealed that former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, during a pre-match conversation, told Bryant that he wanted 50 from him. The Mamba delivered 60.
It was a truly Kobe-esque performance as the Lakers won the game 101-96 in front of a Staples Center crowd that went berserk at the end of the game.