Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are three of the biggest names in basketball history. Their supremacy is inscribed in NBA history books, and their accomplishments speak for themselves. A total of 11 NBA championships, 47 all-star appearances, 6 MVP titles, and several other honors highlight the greatness of the three players. LeBron James’ former teammate, Iman Shumpert, discussed the three players in an interview with VladTV.

The former Cavs player first reacted to a story centered around Kobe Bryant’s competitive rivalry with Michael Jordan. “Did you hear the story about him (Kobe) and Jordan?” the host asked Shumpert. “What story?” Shumpert inquired, to which the host responded, “The one where they played each other and Jordan won and then at the end, Jordan smacked him in the a** and said, ‘You could wear my shoes but not fill them.'”

“I remember Gilbert Arenas told the story and he was saying for the next two weeks, Kobe did not talk to anybody. Literally, he would go to the practice and just be silent. Everyone’s like what’s wrong…it’s like that Jordan comment really got to him. And the next time they played, he just demolished Jordan, he just went insane, just went crazy,” the host added.

Shumpert reacted by adding, “His (Kobe) focus used to be crazy, it’s dope to see that sh*t. They just mean it…some people say sh*t and they mean that sh*t.”

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The above story illustrates that Mamba Mentality was an actual phenomenon. As proved by Kobe Bryant, obsession is fundamental to Mamba Mentality. It’s about putting your professional aspirations ahead of living a regular life. It is about competing without fear, honing your art, and striving to dominate rather than just win. Bryant’s unflinching self-belief and confidence that he was the best player on the court built his stellar 20-year career.

Iman Shumpert also talked about LeBron James and Kevin Durant

Following his reaction to the Bryant-Jordan story, the host asked Shumpert if Kobe Bryant was the best player he had ever faced, to which Shumpert answered in the negative. The host asked Shumpert who he would choose as the best player if not Kobe. “LeBron,” Shumpert answered after a brief pause.

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“As far as somebody that can do everything, like every statistic that you got, he can do. And if you really go back and look at it, you can say he can’t shoot and do that, and then you look at actual numbers, your argument’s not so supportive,” Shumpert added.

“I go back and look at clutch moments, I go back and look at all that, the most things you could say about the dude is that in the clutch he has folded a few times, but he puts himself in enough positions to correct that later on.”

Shumpert added, “The most skilled offensive player I had to deal with? Cool, Kevin Durant! I’ve never got a rebound, came down and seen him. Like you’ve got an issue if Bron really wanna guard you like, if you want to go all out for a possession, you’ve got a real issue on your hands. He can literally do everything.”

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Basically, Shumpert is suggesting that Durant’s ability to score at will is among the best. However, LeBron has a greater overall impact on the game and makes his teammates better. Other than scoring, Kevin Durant has improved remarkably in every other aspect of the game; however, James’ ability to dominate every aspect of the game sets him apart.

For the spectators, each encounter between the two is significant because the outcome serves as a litmus test; a foreground for bouts of fortune that put James against his closest competitor, Durant.