Stephen Curry Surpassed Kobe Bryant? NBA Experts Weigh In on Hot Debate

Bill Simmons and Nick Wright discussed about how close Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry are in the all-time list.

Stephen Curry Surpassed Kobe Bryant? NBA Experts Weigh In on Hot Debate

Kobe Bryant (Left) and Steph Curry (Right) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Fans are often heard debating about the greatest players to have ever played the game of basketball and players such as Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry are some of the common names in these discussions. Both have achieved numerous successes and accolades throughout their careers (Curry is still active) and are credited for being influential to the sport as well.

Very few players in NBA history can boast a résumé like Kobe Bryant‘s. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, delivering five championships with the esteemed franchise. To go along with the championships, he is an 18-time NBA All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive team, two-time scoring champion, one-time League MVP, and two-time Finals MVP, just to name a few.

His influence in the sport of basketball is profound. A lot of NBA players today have been influenced by Bryant for his “Mamba Mentality”, which is known for his relentless work ethic and competitiveness. The former Lakers star shaped his game around his idol, Michael Jordan.

Stephen Curry will forever be known for being the pioneer of modern-day basketball. Undoubtedly, the greatest shooter of all time. Curry, just like Bryant has played his entire career in one club – the Golden State Warriors. Not known for his size, Curry has revolutionized the game by popularizing the three-point shot and is often brought up in GOAT debates.

The Warriors guard has won four championships in his 16-year career so far. He has won two league MVPs, with his second MVP making him the first-ever unanimous MVP in league history. To go along with his MVPs, he is an 11-time NBA All-Star, two-time scoring champion, and one-time Finals MVP.

American podcaster Bill Simmons and NBA analyst Nick Wright discussed Bryant and Curry in the all-time list on the Bill Simmons podcast. Simmons said:

I think Curry vs Kobe is a better argument that people want to give it credit for. Kobe won only one MVP and he won two (championships) on his own. Steph won four (championships) , he won the one on his own, I guess you can give him 2015.

Nick Wright chimed in as well. He added:

Kobe has a couple grizzlied finals and not just when he was a kid. His final vs the Pistons was a disaster. He was such a better defensive player than Steph. But that’s a fair argument.

There is no doubt that the two superstars are forever etched as the most influential players to play the game. But in this particular case, it is hard to choose at the moment when Curry is still active in the NBA. Only time will tell who ranks higher once Curry hangs up his boots.

Did Kevin Durant save Stephen Curry’s legacy?

While there is no doubt that the face of the Warriors dynasty is Stephen Curry. From 2015 to 2019, they made it to five straight finals, winning three of them. But critics have argued that the two championships won in 2017 and 2018 were because of Kevin Durant. The now-Houston Rockets forward won both Final MVPs and was the best player on the Warriors roster.

Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (Image credits – CNN)

On the latest episode of the Road Trippin’ Show, former NBA player Richard Jefferson weighed in on the discussion.

To say [Durant] saved their legacy, we’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The most important championship of Steph’s career was the championship they won after [Durant] left, hence the ‘What are they gonna say now?’. They won a championship before him, they won a championship after him. As far as I’m concerned, the conversation is over [about] could they win without Kevin Durant.

Jefferson does make a strong point because at the end of the day, Curry led the Warriors to a championship in 2022 and also before Durant’s arrival in 2015, which cements his legacy.

Kendrick Perkins has some harsh words for Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Giannis Antetokounmpo-Milwaukee Bucks partnership may be coming to an end sooner than expected. After putting in a trade request with the Bucks in the offseason, it looked like Antetokounmpo would end up staying for another season, as no move was materialized.

But it looks like the Greek may already want out after a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign for the Bucks. Former NBA player and ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins sounded off on Antetokounmpo:

Giannis is a coward. Let’s just call a spade a spade. We wouldn’t even be having these conversations, wondering like, Shams reporting this, and then all of a sudden Chris Haynes reporting this. And all of a sudden, Doc Rivers is coming to the podium, and he’s saying that no Giannis, we have never had this conversation, and then Kyle Kuzma reporting that we didn’t have a meeting after this last report. All this bull**** because Giannis is a coward.

It remains to be seen if the Bucks can find a trade for Antetokounmpo in the middle of the season but there will be plenty of suitors out there who will be eager for the Greek’s services.

Also Read: