Duncan versus Kobe reignited by respected ESPN insider taking strong stance

It has been over four and a half years since the devastating passing of Lakers great and NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Hearing the news is a moment that fans across the league will remember forever, as there were few players more polarizing than the Black Mamba. As San Antonio Spurs fans, we had a special relationship with Bryant—an adversarial one. However, that relationship was built on respect, despite our adamance that Tim Duncan was the better competitor.

It's a debate that has raged for over two decades and the fact that both players retired years ago has not stopped it from continuing to pop up in sports debate. Recently, ESPN's Zach Lowe addressed the never-ending topic on his podcast, "The Lowe Post" and made his stance crystal clear.

Tim Duncan's place over Kobe Bryant should be more obvious

Kobe turned into one of the most dominant forces ever seen in basketball history, but the story is much more complicated than that. He played with such ferocity and flair that it was hard not to gravitate toward his growing legend, especially because he won multiple championships. But Bryant had to evolve from a lower status to get there.

In his rookie year, Kobe started six games, coming off the bench and averaging 8 points per game. Even when he earned more minutes, it was Shaquille O'Neal's team, without question. Due to problems between the two, Shaq left, and the Lakers fell off a cliff until they added Pau Gasol in a trade with Memphis, and Andrew Bynum emerged.

In Tim Duncan's rookie season, his numbers were almost identical to David Robinson's and he quickly took over as the team's best player. He led the Spurs to the playoffs every single year, and when he felt he needed to take a step back offensively, he did so willingly while remaining dominant and continuing to lead the team to excellence.

The Big Fundamental has a 71% career-winning percentage, which is good for top-10 all time. No other superstar from his era is in the top 20. Timmy D is closer to being the greatest player of all time than people realize. There are less than five players in the history of the league with more accolades than Duncan, and Kobe is not one of them.