Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan will soon join the list of Hall of Famers and inevitably it raised the question: Who has a more meaningful career? While the late Lakers legend enjoyed the upper hand in terms of popularity, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith said it is Duncan who boasts of more impressive achievements.
Smith argued that the San Antonio icon's career could be regarded as more consistent, which should be enough to give him an edge over Bryant. Although the two won as many NBA rings during their time, Duncan steadily padded up to his NBA resume that when pitted with that of Bryant's, it should be easy to pick who is the better man.
"When you consider the model of consistency that Tim Duncan was able to put forth - David Robinson has a title because of Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is a five-time champion, as that chart just showed, just as many titles as Kobe Bryant, more NBA Finals MVPs," Fadeaway World reported the journalist as saying.
Smith added that the Spurs legend's reputation as the best power forward that the NBA has produced remains undisputed. In addition, the overall success that Duncan has garnered while in active play easily eclipsed that of Bryant's, specifically in the defensive area.
The analyst pointed to the fact that Duncan was voted into the All-Defensive First Team on 10 occasions, and that should tell quite a huge story for the big man.
However, fellow journalist Max Kellerman disagreed with Smith's reading. The former said the Lakers got a big boost in the 20 years that Bryant was with the team. The Black Mamba was a dominant figure in his prime and it happened at the same time that Duncan was San Antonio's franchise player.
Practically, the NBA had a signature player with Bryant in the same way that the league was globally recognizable during the time of Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, according to Kellerman.
"I have to go Kobe Bryant. Charles Barkley's right. Kobe Bryant is the closest thing we've ever seen to Michael Jordan," Clutch Points reported the journalist as saying.
But it's interesting to note that because of Duncan, Bryant missed the chance of having two more titles under his belt. The report recalled that in 1999 and 2003, the Lakers could only afford runner up finishes to San Antonio that was headlined by Duncan.
In the end, Bryant and Duncan are two different NBA stars that were poles apart. The other was more flamboyant while the other was naturally reserved. But they were both great heroes that no doubt contributed to increasing the level of the game in the league.
