Is there a current NBA Player that can be as big as MJ, Kobe and Lebron?

[SAINT]

Curry is just slightly below that. But to answer you i dont think so. it may be another 10+ years before we get another one. Zion doesnt have the look for it, pause.

 

[Swagnificent]

China has 1.5 billion people, the average person In China does not give a shyt about basketball

even if we believe the NBA’s outrageous claims that 500 million Chinese have watched the nba at some point over the last year, that still means a billion people don’t care

China Erupts in Mourning Over Kobe Bryant's Death

News of Kobe's death got 2.4 billion views on China's version on Twitter. You read that right. 2.4 Billion. Not millons views. But billions of views.

Keep pretending Kobe isn't the most popular American athlete of all-time globally.

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

Kobe definitely more popular in China than bron

World Fame 100: Kobe No. 1 in China

"What's more attractive to Chinese fans is Bryant's playing style. His elegant fadeaway jumpers, graceful reverse layups and dunks all separate him from LeBron's athleticism and violent physicality. It is akin to Chinese martial arts versus boxing. It's grace vs. power, which attracts Chinese fans to Kobe more than LeBron."

"I thought I was famous until I got [to China] with Kobe."
LeBron James

 

[mbewane]

I will say the internet has made it weird. Lebron was the first High school athlete followed by ESPN. Kobe was one of the first HSer who made the transition into the nba (was the youngest player to ever play in the NBA at one point). And Mike was the first mega commercialized athlete.

Now everyone of these highschoolers has a brand. Multiple YouTube videos. Borderline shoe deals. Youd think I'd help the hype but itsi almost made it oversaturated. Its gonna be harder for a players actual brand to stand out in 2020.

Yep, oversaturation is a thing. From a non-US standpoint, it used to be that if I heard about a HS or college player that meant that player was really that special, otherwise the info just didn't reach us. Now you see clips of random HS games on Instagram everyday. So ironically it's almost harder to stand out.

I think Bron is a step below MJ/Kobe level. does Bron really have obsessive fans overseas like the other two? Maybe I’m selling it short.

I've lived in Europe for the past 20 years and I haven't seen Bron as a huge a following here. He's big among hoopers obviously but "cultural icon" wise he's srangely not really at that MJ/Kobe level. On the other hand a lot of Black people (including some who don't really care about basketball) look up to him for what he does outside of basketball, so there's that too.

 

[AJtheOne]

I can see Zion being similar to Shaq in terms of popularity

 

[Miggs]

Zion Williamson

Giannis has no chance because of his name and the fact hes not American....he wont get the push that an Americn born player with name would get...

 

[Miggs]

Emoni Bates.

Edit: not currently obviously...but keep looking out.

Elijah Fisher >>>>>> Emoni Bates

 

[jadillac]

Fair. I forgot about AI. Definitely iconic. Would I say he's on MJ, Kobe, Bron level? Nah. Him and steph are on a different tier a notch below

Wait, you put AI on the same level aa Steph?

Imo, Steph is clear cut above Iverson

 

[I AM WARHOL]

Wait, you put AI on the same level aa Steph?

Imo, Steph is clear cut above Iverson

Yeah I think they are on a similar level. Not to discredit Steph, AI was just super icon for a non champion. He did so much for the culture. Everyone wanted to be AI at one point. Reminds me of how everyone wants to be a sniper like steph

 

[UpAndComing]

Nope

The reason why I got into Basketball

 

[Rocket Scientist]

zion has zero personality lol

They will continue to overlook that. Him and Giannis have tremendous skill but personality nope.

 

[MenacingMonk]

They will continue to overlook that. Him and Giannis have tremendous skill but personality nope.

Yeah. all this Zion talk has me

Look at the personalities of the Big 3; They stand out. I'll give Zion time to see how he grows. He might just be stuck in his shell and adjusting.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Yeah. all this Zion talk has me

Look at the personalities of the Big 3; They stand out. I'll give Zion time to see how he grows. He might just be stuck in his shell and adjusting.

Zion is just a humble kid genuinely he just needs to be himself. Look at JA Morant on other hand bold,risky,talks trash he has Superstar personality .

 

[MenacingMonk]

Zion is just a humble kid genuinely he just needs to be himself. Look at JA Morant on other hand bold,risky,talks trash he has Superstar personality .

You can't be a larger than life superstar by being lowkey and straight up humble. Kobe was humble but had some arrogance. You gotta have a personality that people gravitate towards. It's about charisma and charm too. On top of that you gotta be slick with the tongue. There's plenty of factors needed to be seen as larger than life.

 

[WaveGang]

From someone that lives outside usa

95% of people can't name more than 3 current nba players