I Have the Most Infuriating Co-worker! (Basketball Related)

[CelticD]

He's one of the newest hires, and I can't stand talking about basketball with him. He happens to be a Laker fan (from New Jersey), and of course I'm a Celtic fan (from Brooklyn), so we naturally butt-heads on everything from sports to fashion etc.

Arguing with this man, is one of the most painstaking tasks outside of actually working. This is literally how one of our conversations went today:

Him: Kobe Bryant is the greatest Laker of all time.

Me: I think Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabar may have something to say about that.

Him: Well you didn't watch them play so you can't say that (I'm 20).

Me: Well you didn't watch them play either so you can't say Kobe is the greatest (he's 28, but he didn't start watching basketball until he was a teenager).

Him: I can.

That's how the conversation ended. Once he said "I can", I gave up. Why do I engage in these back and forths with this man? That is how he argues. He'd make an argument, I'd counter with the exact same argument he made, then he just dismisses it. Like what??

He goes on to say that Mike Conley > Isaiah Thomas because of the contract he was paid, and would've taken Thomas' all-star spot had he been in the East, Lakers will have a better team than the Celtics this upcoming season, last season was better for the Lakers than the Celtics because Kobe retired, Julius Randle is better than any of our bigs, Perkins' injury in the 2010 Finals had absolutely no impact on Game 7 and the outcome would've been the same either way, etc.

^&@T$T*$&!!KGHJGGGDHJE111!!!!!JPINIFN9-93(_U(_()HOUN(&Y&(T9-U9U_NJKBY(IVIU:HG)}

It's like arguing with a child. Whenever I try to use any sort of statistic or player accolade he says, "You didn't watch them play." like that somehow invalidates numbers. That's why stats exist in the first place. When someone says something like "Jordan is the GOAT" and you've only seen highlights of him, stats and accolades can give you a better appreciation of what he did on the court.

Sorry for this lengthy post, but that guy is just sooooo aggravating. If you have any annoying co-worker stories please share below.

[LarBrd33]

Paula Abdul is the greatest laker of all time.

[Denis998]

I am a Celtics Fan from New Jersey, several of my coworkers are New Jersey Lakers fans. The key to arguing with them is just to argue louder than them.

[Celtics4ever]

Remind him that five of their titles happened in Minnesota and ought to be shifted to the T-Wolves that gets Lakers all the time.

[KG Living Legend]

 Ok Kobe, Tell me how my azz taste. If you have never seen Shaq Rap this take a second.

 https://youtu.be/6lQW-FWMcBo

[danglertx]

Shouldn't your argument have been, "they are all just Lakers so what does it matter?"

[tarheelsxxiii]

This has gotten out of hand, and unfortunately, sounds like it's time to resort to physical violence.

[libermaniac]

Just let him know Ray Allen says hello to Sasha. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i19lSd7pAiE

[FatKidsDad]

That's how the conversation ended. Once he said "I can", I gave up. Why do I engage in these back and forths with this man? That is how he argues. He'd make an argument, I'd counter with the exact same argument he made, then he just dismisses it. Like what??
 

It's like arguing with a child.

Is his name Trump?

[Beat LA]

In terms of his 'I can' response, I'd just ask why, lol, although I do agree, to a degree, anyway, that Game 7 would have had the same result, even with Perk, but who knows. I'd be more interested in his views on how Ron Artest deliberately kneed Ray Allen in the thigh in game 3.  Classic Phil Jackson job, imo.  If he brings up McHale-Rambis, which is kind of fair, I guess, just point out that McHale never did anything remotely like that again in his career, while Artest made a living out of elbowing people in the head and other dirty plays, etc. 

I'd also ask if he knows how many MVPs Magic won and how many times the ShowTime Lakers got to the Finals in the 80s.  If he gets any of those questions wrong, well, it kind of kills his credibility, lol . This is actually fascinating, lol . Does he think that Randle is better than our big guys from last year, or Al Horford, haha, and why, and what does he think of Smart, if anything?

He also might be right about Conley, imo.  If Kyrie wasn't hurt, would IT have made the all star team, last year, because I don't think so, if for no other reason than popularity .

Don't forget to ask him how it is to have always had the refs in your back pocket, btw .

[Beat LA]

Remind him that five of their titles happened in Minnesota and ought to be shifted to the T-Wolves that gets Lakers all the time.

Meh, idk about that.  It's still the same franchise, ultimately, right?  I don't think that people say the same thing about the Brooklyn vs. LA Dodgers and the respective accomplishments of the team in two different cities, for example.

[MJohnnyboy]

Remind him that five of their titles happened in Minnesota and ought to be shifted to the T-Wolves that gets Lakers all the time.

Meh, idk about that.  It's still the same franchise, ultimately, right?  I don't think that people say the same thing about the Brooklyn vs. LA Dodgers and the respective accomplishments of the team in two different cities, for example.

Do the Thunder have a championship because the Supersonics won in 79?

[Beat LA]

Remind him that five of their titles happened in Minnesota and ought to be shifted to the T-Wolves that gets Lakers all the time.

Meh, idk about that.  It's still the same franchise, ultimately, right?  I don't think that people say the same thing about the Brooklyn vs. LA Dodgers and the respective accomplishments of the team in two different cities, for example.

Do the Thunder have a championship because the Supersonics won in 79?

Hmm, good point - TP .  I forgot about that.  I'm going to go with no, but only because they changed their name.  I know, it's ridiculous, lol, but that's just me, haha .

[fairweatherfan]

Get him to bet you something on the Lakers having a better record than the Celtics this year.  Something substantial.  If he won't, just tell him he obviously doesn't believe what he's saying.  "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" will wear on him after a while.

[Kaz]

Julius Randle is better than any of our bigs

Well in his defense, prior to the Horford signing he may have had a case there...

Anyways, that's pretty unfortunate.  There's really no reason for someone in their late 30s to act like a 14-year-old, especially in an office setting.