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Gilbert Arenas disagrees with Paul Pierce’s huge Kobe Bryant take, ‘I don’t know…’

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Nov 23, 2025 1:00 PM ET

NBA legend Paul Pierce recently made a claim about Kobe Bryant’s career.

Boston Celtics legend and 2008 NBA champion Paul Pierce made headlines for claiming that late LA Lakers icon Kobe Bryant was never the face of the league.

Considering Bryant won five NBA Championships and impacted a generation of basketball players, it was certainly a huge statement from Pierce.

What Kobe Bryant said about LeBron James

I think the player that would fit with me most, that would actually be LeBron.

He’s a passer first, I’m a scorer, I’m a finisher. ‘Bron is a facilitator by nature and I’m a finisher by nature.

Those two styles, I think complement each other extremely well.
Kobe Bryant

Speaking of which, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his two cents on Pierce’s seemingly absurd take on Bryant’s legacy.

Gilbert Arenas says Kobe Bryant was the face of the league for only three years

Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Bryant enjoyed a 20-year stint in the NBA, during which he won a plethora of accolades and broke his fair share of records.

Coming back to Pierce’s statement, Arenas believes a superstar can only be the face of the league if the NBA pushes him for the role.

“When we say face of the NBA, that means the NBA is pushing him. It was 2008. That’s when it was. After the Olympics, and he won a gold for America, they started pushing the Kobe brand again.

“So that 2008-2010 period is when Kobe officially the NBA’s guy,” Arenas said on his podcast.

Leading the Redeem Team to the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics was certainly a career-defining moment for the Mamba, and that’s when Arenas thinks Kobe became the face of the league.

However, he clarified as far as fans are concerned, they considered Bryant among the best stars in the NBA for much longer.

“But for the fans themselves, damn near 96-97. But when the NBA pushes you, that’s when you’re the face. Those three years were 100% for sure. Like, there was no question,” Arenas added.

Gilbert Arenas on how LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have been different

The NBA can only try to push a player as the face of the league. After all, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards showed no interest in that role.

A perfect example of the face of the league is none other than LeBron James, who has held that role for more than a decade.

Arenas did point out that James’ case was different from Bryant’s, thanks to the NBA pushing him earlier in his career.

“LeBron kind of had it early. They were pushing him, D-Wade, Nash. And then after the Olympics, it was Kobe for those three years. Then it went back to LeBron,” Arenas concluded.

Agent Zero also admitted that he wasn’t paying attention to potentially becoming the face of the league because of his troubles off the court.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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