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NFL Veteran Left Fuming as Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Lakers Legacy Gets Put to the Test vs Kobe Bryant and His Career: “What’s the Problem With Having Both Players Ranked Over Kobe?”

Published 07/10/2022, 10:00 AM EDT

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Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are among the greatest ever players to don a Lakers jersey. “The Black Mamba’ enthralled the audience with Jordanesque fall-away jump shots and the “jab-step and pause.’ Meanwhile, Kareem is one of the best big men the league has ever seen. His “Skyhook” shot was a thing of beauty and near un-defendable.

Both of them brought trophies to Los Angeles and were the faces of the team. Kobe and Kareem are among the first names you think of whenever someone mentions the Lakers. But their fans on Twitter are now arguing among themselves. This has left NFL veteran Shannon Sharpe infuriated.

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Sharpe is the co-host of Undisputed alongside journalist Skip Bayless and Jennifer Hale. Fans on Twitter can be quite rabid and stubborn about their opinions and that had Sharpe frustrated. Kobe fans are no different. They got offended by Shannon and Skip when they put Magic Johnson and Kareem above Kobe.

Shannon replied to a Twitter user saying that there is nothing wrong with his opinion. The NFL veteran turned sports analyst proceeded to highlight the achievements both players had for the Lakers and more.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar: The face of the Lakers that Kobe Bryant idolized

Kareem Abdul Jabbar has won six MVPs, six NBA titles, and two Finals MVPs. He is also the leading regular-season scorer. Kareem has scored 38,387 points throughout his career and this record hasn’t been broken yet. He also scored most of these in an era when three-point shots were not available.

READ MORE: Nets Finally Name Their Price for a Kyrie Irving- LeBron James Reunion at the Lakers in an NBA All-Star Blockbuster Trade, Claim Sources

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As said above, The “Skyhook” shot was a thing of beauty. It felt like Kareem was on another plane and that no other player can take him out of that. His release point was about 5 meters due to his long arms. He is still the eighth-most accurate scorer of all time with a field goal percentage of almost 56%.

He played in the league for 20 seasons with a fitness regime designed to keep him in peak shape. Kobe Bryant, too, played for 20 seasons like Kareem, but not at the same level. Yet, both should not be compared due to how different their playing styles were.

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Watch This Story: 3 Times 395 Pound NBA Giant Shaquille ONeal Scared The Life Out Of Fans By Diving Head First Into The Crowd

Kareem and Kobe were both great and one single opinion doesn’t diminish what the latter has done too. What is your opinion on this debate? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by:

Aditya Kar

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Aditya Kar is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. A holder of Bachelors and Masters degrees in History, he has been a fan of the NBA since 2011. He has a very keen interest in the stories that define the league and the sport.
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Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima