By Guillaume K. | Sports journalist
How beautiful the NBA of the 2000s was… Between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett, there were countless legends. But for Ron Artest, the best of all wasn’t one of those memorable names.
When you think of the NBA of the 2000s, two or three names immediately come to mind. The first is undoubtedly Kobe Bryant, who at times showed abilities similar to those of Michael Jordan a decade earlier. Besides, for all his fans, he should have won much more than an MVP title over the period.
The second is none other than LeBron James, who was not yet an NBA champion but who was already having a string of exceptional seasons. Moreover, the repeated failures of his Cavaliers in the playoffs were not really his fault, his managers simply could not surround him with talents strong and experienced enough to win a ring.
Ron Artest’s ultimate compliment to Brandon Roy
Finally, we could cite Shaquille O’Neal, major player in the latest 3-peat and the most dominant man of his generation. But for Ron Artest, or Metta World Peace whatever you want, none of the three deserved to be considered the best. As he explained in 2009 after a victorious playoff series against the Blazers, he saw Brandon Roy as the best player he had ever seen.
Read also
“At Magic it’s paradise, at midnight you have to pick up a girl and…”
Brandon Roy is probably the best player I’ve played against in my career. He’s the best back, that’s for sure, except in defense. His defense is strange, but he’s the best player I’ve played against.
For Ron Artest, we didn’t do better than Brandon Roy in the NBA… A testimony that makes us regret his numerous injuries a little more.
Because between 2000 and his retirement in 2017, the former Lakers player was able to play against a lot of people. Michael Jordan, Wizards version, Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant… But for him, no one was at the level of Brandon Roy on a big night. How far would he have gone without his health problems? We can only wonder this with bitterness.
2009 NBA Playoffs. The Natural. B-Roy. Brandon Roy.???????? pic.twitter.com/OOFApbnc6i
— Rex Chapman???????? (@RexChapman) February 5, 2019
For many years, Ron Artest defended the best players in the NBA, and in his expertise, none were as good as Brandon Roy. If only the former Blazers could have been spared by his body…
2024-01-07 21:20:00
#stars #huge #snub #Kobe #LeBron #part #is..
