Kobe Bryant went down as one of the greatest basketball players of his generation and of all time when he retired from the game. His career spanned from 1996 to 2016, and he definitely left his mark in all three decades he played in the NBA.
Among those who fully support Bryant’s case among the basketball greats is Vince Carter, who actually played in a similar timespan as Bryant. Carter recently spoke very highly of Bryant and his legacy.
Vince Carter About Kobe Bryant’s Legacy
In an exclusive interview with RG’s Landon Buford, Carter did not leave much to interpretation while discussing Bryant’s reputation.
“I’ll never not include Kobe Bryant as one of the top players to ever play this game,” Carter told Buford. Carter is so supportive of Bryant’s legacy that he didn’t feel the need to elaborate on his take about the deceased NBA legend. “Period, there’s no debate we can argue to the moon. Kobe Bryant did what he did is accomplish what he’s accomplished. enough said,” Carter said.
Kobe passes his childhood idol, Michael Jordan, on the all-time scoring list. #BestOfLakersWolves pic.twitter.com/A7Ck1pbEt8
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 12, 2020
To be fair, Carter didn’t get into specifics about where Bryant ranks among NBA legends, but he’s right that the accolades speak for themselves. As a five-time NBA champion, onetime MVP, who holds the second-highest scoring performance by a player in NBA history, an 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA recipient, 12-time NBA All-Defense recipient, and two-time NBA Finals MVP, it’s hard to argue against his place there.
Despite Bryant and Carter playing around the same time span, as Carter played from 1998 to 2020, the two never faced off in a playoff series. Bryant spent his entire career out West, while Carter spent his prime mostly in the East. By the time Carter migrated out West, Bryant and the Lakers were in the dog days.
The closest the two of them ever came to facing off against each other in the postseason was in 2010. While Bryant and the Lakers went on to win their second consecutive NBA championship, Carter and his team, the Orlando Magic, just missed the NBA Finals when the Boston Celtics eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Carter never approached the same level as Bryant did, but he definitely made his own legacy in the NBA. Besides having his number retired by the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, Carter was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024, three years after Bryant did the same.
