Ever so often, the NBA sees a player arrive that changes the entire trajectory of the league. Perhaps no player has had a larger impact than Michael Jordan. Both on and off the court, Mike’s influence remains unparalleled. However, according to NBA Champion Trevor Ariza, he wasn’t the only member of the Chicago Bulls dynasty to inspire the next generation. Instead, the Robin to his Batman, Scottie Pippen was quite important in shaping modern NBA history.

When NFL legend turned media member Shannon Sharpe said, “Scottie is not as good as Mike,” Ariza had to chime in with his perspective. “I don’t know about that…That’s the thing, I feel like the media don’t point out…I think he felt his impact was just as important. Why wouldn’t he?”

When looking at their 6 championship runs, it is hard to argue with the former Los Angeles Lakers star’s point. Despite Michael taking home the accolades, Pippen was just as big a part of the story. While the media doesn’t view it that way, even Jordan acknowledged that Scottie was the reason for his success.

During their 1990s dominance, it was Pippen who led the team in every stat except points. Simultaneously, as the team’s best defender, he also had to guard the opposing team’s best players. As a result, Pip getting that same respect for his impact isn’t out of the question.

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Sharpe then brought up the often-made comparison to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. After all, those two remain the only other pair to engineer a three-peat in the modern NBA. However, in their case, there was a moment when Bryant truly began to be viewed as an equal to O’Neal. That conversation brought a surprising revelation from Ariza.

Kobe Bryant, not Michael Jordan the best player ever?

While discussing the maturation process, Kobe’s former teammate would drop the bomb. At the age of 22, The Black Mamba had already won his 3rd NBA Championship. According to Ariza, it was dedication and commitment on a “whole other level.” 

This is what brought him to say, “To me, he’s the best player ever…That’s just my favorite player. I mean, Mike is in a completely different, he’s by himself. But, if I had to say, Kobe is the best player ever.” 

Even though he did not want Kobe to move to Chicago in 2007, Ariza’s comments coming as a teammate of Bryant who got to watch him up close, his opinions do hold some credibility. Who do you have as the best player ever? Let us know in the comments below.

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