Metta World Peace Reveals Toughest Player To Guard in the NBA

Metta World Peace took to Twitter just before midnight last night and asked fans if they wanted to know who he feels was/is the toughest player to guard between Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

He eventually revealed that the toughest opponent would have to be Michael Jordan, and gave his thoughts on the other matchups as well:

 

When asked about Kobe’s one-on-one abilities, Metta responded: “Kobe is different. I think he will never be duplicated,” and then provided some more insight:

Then, of course, in true World Peace fashion, Metta made another assertion:

Yes, because an extra ring would make Kobe a tougher cover, right?

Anyway, it’s true that Michael Jordan dropped 40 points (41, actually) on then Ron Artest’s Pacers at 39 years old (it was a month prior to his 40th birthday), but Ron didn’t actually play in that game:

However, Jordan averaged 27.0 points against the Pacers in four games that season; plus there’s this video of Michael Jordan playing against the Pacers with Ron Artest on the floor:

Artest reportedly cracked Jordan’s ribs prior to his 2001-2002 season comeback, while Jordan was trying to get back into game shape.

Kobe and Michael JordanI recall Ron actually commenting on how he felt bad about Jordan’s ribs (not quite admitting or knowing whether he was the one who cracked them or not), as Artest thought he (Jordan) looked really solid and could’ve regularly dropped 40 if not for the setback.

However, Jordan still managed to put up consecutive high-scoring games at one point in the 2001-2002 season, as hedropped 51 and 45 points, respectively, at age 38.

Speaking of old guys putting up big numbers, Kobe Bryant, at age 34, had a legendary 17th season this past year.

—- Test your black mamba knowledge by taking this Kobe Bryant quiz! —-

Certainly, when players who are that advanced in their respective careers can still manage to put up big numbers and still have the jump on their competition, it’s a huge testament to their greatness.

Although James and Durant are widely considered the best in the business at the current time, longevity and the ability to be consistently effective over time are traits World Peace seems to admire–that and multiple championship rings.

 

You May Also Like

Lakers News: LeBron James & Jayson Tatum Exchange Jokes Over Controversial Call In Celtics Loss

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has made his feelings known about the no-call that defined the team’s…

Lakers News: Team Signs Jabari Brown To Second 10-Day Contract

With the Los Angeles Lakers suffering numerous injuries to the backcourt, the…

Lakers Mount Huge Comeback, Defeat Thunder In Double-OT

Down nearly 20 points, the Los Angeles Lakers (41-24) mounted an incredible…

Lakers News: Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Lakers, Dodgers

L.A. Superior Court Judge Amy Hogue dismissed a class-action lawsuit that was…