Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait inside of his office in Costa Mesa, California, on Jan. 17, 2020. Bryant, one of the greatest NBA players in history, is building an impressive resume in his post-basketball career, including winning an Academy Award. Harrison Hill / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kobe Bryant's Greatness Once Again Questioned By Newer Generation

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 8:34 AM ET

Kobe Bryant is generally regarded as the second-best shooting guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan. Both could impact the game at the offensive and defensive end but have questioned their ability as two-way players.

The latest is former All-Star Jeff Teague. On his Club 520 podcast, he questioned Bryant's prowess as a defender. Bryant was a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team during his 20-year career.

“And I’ma tell y’all something about All-Defensive teams — they just put anybody on them after a while,” Teague said. “Like, if you made it once or twice, three times, they just start putting you on there.”

Teague said Bryant may have been an elite defender early in his career but he was relied upon for mainly offense. Teague feels the Los Angeles Lakers had strong defensive players over the years such as Ron Artest to help Bryant focus on offense.

“Like 12 times? I played Kobe, bro," Teague said. "He wasn’t guarding like that. He wasn’t, bro. Yeah. Maybe the first four or five years he was. After that, he wasn’t guarding like that, bro. Go look. Paul Pierce and them used to cook. Joe Johnson used to cook."

Teague is the second ex-player to recently throw some shade at Bryant. A few weeks ago, Dwyane Wade said Pau Gasol should have won 2010 NBA Finals MVP ahead of Bryant.

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This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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