Stephon Marbury takes shot at LeBron James (Image Credits: Imagn and @starburymarbury on Instagram)

Former NBA star point guard Stephon Marbury continued dismissing LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James’ GOAT prospects. According to the two-time All-Star, the GOAT debate should instead center around Chicago Bulls and Lakers legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Jordan and James have long been the two players most mentioned in GOAT discussions. However, Marbury has consistently opposed the notion that James should rank ahead of the late Bryant.

Marbury did so again on Wednesday’s episode of “The Mark Jackson Show.” When asked to name his GOAT, he didn’t hesitate to choose Jordan. Afterward, Marbury highlighted his difficulty understanding how people rank James over Bryant, whom he considers the second-greatest player ever.

“When I look at Kobe, I’m like, ‘How is LeBron better than Jordan when he’s not better than Kobe?'” Marbury said (Timestamp: 102:27). “I’ll be trying to figure that out. I’m like, ‘Why are we really having a basketball conversation?'”

Marbury pointed to James and Bryant’s “different styles,” noting that James dominates with brute force while Bryant’s offensive repertoire was more advanced and refined. Per the ex-Phoenix Suns star, while he respects James’ longevity, his mastery is “not the same” as Bryant’s.

He added that James’ reliance on physicality and inside scoring over perimeter skills will forever prevent him from overtaking Jordan.

“LeBron James is the best all-around player that this game will ever see. (There) won’t be nobody like him,” Marbury said. “But he will never be better than Michael Jordan. I’m sorry.”

Stephon Marbury on why he doesn’t consider Kobe Bryant the GOAT despite favoring him over LeBron James

While Stephon Marbury prefers Kobe Bryant’s playstyle over LeBron James’, he underscored one factor keeping him from ranking Bryant ahead of Michael Jordan.

According to Marbury, Bryant did an impeccable job imitating Jordan’s offensive game. However, he added that a “copy” can never surpass an “original.”

“It’s so unbelievable that a human being can literally go and use a basketball and make the same moves and have the same mannerisms,” Marbury said (Timestamp: 101:39).

“… I’ve picked Jordan first, but I think I’ve picked Kobe second, and I couldn’t put him first because he’s a copy. He wasn’t original, but he had originality to his game.”

So, given Marbury’s inclinations for outside shot creation and ingenuity, the top of his GOAT rankings appear fixed for the foreseeable future.