Baron Davis Defends Kobe Bryant Amidst Tracy McGrady Comparisons

Baron Davis was a contemporary of both Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady while the duo were in their primes.

Baron Davis Defends Kobe Bryant Amidst Tracy McGrady Comparisons

Baron Davis faced prime Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady (FS Image)

One of the hottest topics in the NBA world of late has been the Kobe Bryant vs Tracy McGrady debate. Gilbert Arenas and T-Mac were enlisted by ESPN when McGrady claimed he would’ve won a ring with Shaquille O’Neal. While McGrady has every right to believe this, the internet went overboard with the comparison.

Arenas was repeatedly shown the flaw in his reasoning after he argued that McGrady would’ve won four titles. The timing of the discussion was also highly debated – it was just ahead of the first Game 7 in nine years. Yet, it consumed a lot of airwaves on sports radio and talk shows with the amount of vitriol thrown by either camp. Arenas has been roundly criticized for his takes and shown to have double standards on it.

A contemporary of Arenas who was also one of the most exciting players from the era of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis chipped in with his thoughts today. Posting a tweet in the aftermath of the bulk of the discussion, Davis managed not to mention McGrady. Yet, he also made it clear that Bryant has a legacy a cut above any player he’s being compared to:

Kobe Cap !!! Long Live Mamba. Yall gotta stop with the Hot Takes!! I can break it down and tell you why you wouldn’t have won if you switched places. KOBE IS THE ILLEST

Much like Arenas, Davis has a lot of credentials to back up what he’s saying. He had All-Stars, All-NBA bids and beat Tracy McGrady in a playoff series, unlike Arenas. He also has a ton of experience of being guarded on a team with title aspirations.

Davis also had an explosive element to his game like TMac and Bryant, unlike Arenas. He can visualize the duo’s scoring mentality a lot better than Arenas. As a point guard, Davis can also sympathize with the role of the primary ballhandler that Bryant and McGrady played. Gilbert Arenas, meanwhile, had no such vision during his playing days – he was a pure scorer, and that was that.

Tracy McGrady had words about Kobe Bryant in the aftermath of the debate

Tracy McGrady has always shown a lot of respect to the legacy and impact of Kobe Bryant. All he’s ever said, even years back, is how he belonged in the same conversations as the Lakers legend during his prime. After the fallout of his ESPN segment during the Finals, McGrady has set the record straight again. In his video from Monday, McGrady clarified his position:

Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady (Imagn)

Everybody knows Kobe is my man. And to go back to those comments, I never should have said ‘replace’. I don’t want to say I’m replacing Kobe. Kobe’s my brother though. There’s no way in hell I would ever, EVER, disrespect my brother like that. Yes, it came out as me replacing, I never said I was better than Kobe. Kobe and Shaq is winning three championships. At this time, around the second or third championship, Kobe was probably the best player in the game.

Fans can now conclude this hoopla as another case of ‘much ado about nothing’. Kobe Bryant’s impact and play will be preserved by his contemporary and rival Tracy McGrady.