In an exclusive telephone interview with Gulf News, Kobe Bryant talked about numerous topics including his quest for a sixth championship and where he compares among the all-time greats in NBA History.
When asked if he personally considers himself one of the all-time greats, Bryant didn’t want to discuss the topic as he plans on playing for a couple more seasons:
“I don’t know. I don’t want to start this.”
However, Bryant was more than willing to discuss how hungry he is to win his sixth championship, which would tie him with Michael Jordan:
“Number six will be great – that’s what we are all focused on. And yeah, I believe we can do it. I believe in what we have in our team. It’s all about how we support each other. But when it comes to team spirit and attitude, we have loads of that and that will help us quite a bit.”
Through the entire off-season, most are counting Kobe and the Lakers this season. Some feel that Bryant will not return at a high-level because of the severity of his Achilles injury. With the departure of an All-Star center and the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, some also feel that the Lakers will struggle to make the playoffs or land future big free agents.
It’s clear that Bryant is only focused on this upcoming season as he looks to win his sixth championship. He’s not thinking about his place among NBA greats because Bryant feels he still can perform at a high-level for the last years of his career.
(h/t Kobe Bryant Legend)