The 1996 Chicago Bulls team is considered to be the greatest team of all time. Michael Jordan and the Bulls had a then NBA record of 72-10 and they won the title that year. Out of those ten losses, one of them came at the hands of the Miami Heat. And the Heat won that game because of a role player.

Rex Chapman, a former NBA player of 12 years, led the charge that day and he scored 39 points and he went 9-10 from the three-point land. He was a rotation player all his career, but he exploded on Jordan and the Bulls that day. He also had several off-field controversies which cut short his NBA career.

Now, he’s back at it with another bold statement about Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Chapman says Kobe Bryant doesn’t belong in the same breath as Michael Jordan

Rex was on the Rich Eisen Show where he was asked to weigh on the LeBron James and Michael Jordan debate. He said, “I think Michael’s the best too… However, LeBron is creeping into that conversation for me. He’s amazing… Dude has never made a misstep. I am a huge fan.” 

In the end, he talked about Kobe. He added, “I saw what Kobe became. Unbelievably good. But I could never put him with Michael.”

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Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were very similar players. And because Kobe has said that Jordan was his idol, and he came after Jordan, he has been ignored by many in the GOAT talk. Not just by the media, but by former players of the 80s and 90s as well.

They have not given Kobe his props. And this time it was an ex-player who played against Jordan who said Kobe wasn’t on the same level as Michael.

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But the players who have played against Kobe have always held him to a high standard. Even the fans have given Kobe his applause. Some players have even called Kobe the GOAT and have questioned the media why Kobe’s name is not in the conversation.

Does Kobe Bryant belong in the GOAT conversation? Let us know in the comments!