Not many are going to remember Kobe Bryant for his struggles this season. Instead, Bryant will be remembered as one of the all-time greats. Several of his peers have said Bryant is his era’s Michael Jordan.
Bryant’s resume will land him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He has won five NBA championships in his 20-year career and currently is third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
Interestingly, Bryant has captured only one MVP award, however. In comparison, Abdul-Jabbar won six and Jordan and Bill Russell each won five. LeBron James already has four. While the league has seen more balanced players than Bryant, few were better scorers.
That brings us to the question for today: Where does Kobe Bryant rank among the all-time NBA greats?
Being mindful of our commenting policy, let us know in the comments section below what you think. We look forward to learning about what you have to share.
1. MY
2. Magic
3. Russell
4. Kareem
5. Wilt
6. Kobe
1. MJ. …stupid autocorrect
I actually think that is the perfect spot for him. few have Kareem that high, but it certainly is warranted.
Got him in the 15-20 range honestly. Kareem, Wilt, Karl Malone, Jordan, Magic, Hakeem, Russell, Duncan, Stockton, Bird, Shaq, Dirk, Barkley, D.Robinson, LeBron, Hakeem and Robertson (in no particular order).
I would rank him over dirk and Shaquille and considering we haven’t seen all of Lebron yet I would put Kobe above him for now
I have Shaq ahead of Kobe; The Diesel was so dominant.
agreed. Kobe captivated us like no one else between MJ and LeBron.
How about Jerry West for that list? He was Kobe back in the 1960s.
People forget about West. I don’t see how they can though, he is the logo. He belongs on that list.
Dirk…..???? I’m not a Kobe fan at all, but Dirk ahead of him….???
Somewhere in the top 10, certainly. He’s in the next tier after the all-time big three: Chamberlain, Jordan and Russell.
In the modern game, I find it hard to put bigs and smalls on one list for comparison. Bigs rely on smalls to give them the ball. This is an extreme example but just watch an Allstar game. For guys like Hakeem and Shaq to do what they did while playing along side Clydes and Kobes; that impresses me more. Furthermore, the bigs are the ones getting doubled and opening things up for the smalls.
Bigs are also harder to come by. How many Shaq types have existed vs Kobe types?
Michael Grange of the Toronto Sun wrote a good summarization of Kobe’s accomplishments; a recommended read.
In conclusion, Kobe is somewhere around 15-20. Give me Duncan’s career over Kobe’s any day!
Imagine how many rings Shaq and Kobe could have won if Kobe wasn’t a jerk
interesting point. I imagine we will revisit this conversation when TD retires, but an argument can be made to place Duncan and Shaq ahead of Kobe. but, like you said, it’s hard to put them on one list. I don’t think it’s quite like pitcher/hitter in baseball but that’s what it reminds me of.
Seriously, I’m 45 years old and will only speak from that knowledge base, but anybody that does not have Kobe in their, at the very least, top seven do not know the game of basketball. Kobe’s basketball skill set can only be matched by a few players in NBA history. Period!
1) MJ
2)LBJ
3)Wilt
4)Shaq
5)Magic
6)Kareem
7)Kobe
8)Dirk
9)Russell
10)Bird
curious: who just missed your top 10?
I have him in the 12-18 range. Definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game
that being said, I definitely would have a different list than most of the people here, though it would take me a while to list it
I think there are at least 6 guys that you can argue as the best ever, and nobody can really argue that. For me, its hard to decide these things b/c of all the variables, like position, era, who I’ve personally seen play the game, etc. The 6 guys I’m referring to are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell. I put LeBron right behind those guys, with the possibility of making into that group in the end. Then there is Larry Bird, Julius Irving, and Jerry West up there. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, John Havlicek, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, Dwyane Wade, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett, Rick Barry. I would put Kobe somewhere in that area, with the probability that I’m forgetting some people right now. As I said, I’m going to have to eventually sit down and do something like this. I had an old list that I wrote out towards somewhere around 40 a few years ago, but I dont remember what I did with it.
I think 15 is the lowest you can go with Kobe. after 15, there are guys like KG — while they’re great, I don’t they accomplished what Kobe has.
I posted more, but its still awaiting moderation for some reason. I’m confused by that as I’m pretty sure I didnt do anything wrong in the comment.
that’s weird. approved the comment for you just now.
that being said, I definitely would have a different list than most of the people here, though it would take me a while to list it
I think there are at least 6 guys that you can argue as the best ever, and nobody can really argue that. For me, its hard to decide these things b/c of all the variables, like position, era, who I’ve personally seen play the game, etc. The 6 guys I’m referring to are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell. I put LeBron right behind those guys, with the possibility of making into that group in the end. Then there is Larry Bird, Julius Irving, and Jerry West up there. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, John Havlicek, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, Dwyane Wade, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett, Rick Barry. I would put Kobe somewhere in that area, with the probability that I’m forgetting some people right now. As I said, I’m going to have to eventually sit down and do something like this. I had an old list that I wrote out towards somewhere around 40 a few years ago, but I dont remember what I did with it.
sorry for the double post. Didnt know if it had originally gone through b/c of a notification
interesting. what stats do you use to decide? what else do you factor in?
I just realized I left off Elgin Baylor, which is a crime…probably a couple of other bad ones I missed
I try to use as much information, and factor in as many things, as possible. I look at all around ability, accomplishments, stats, eye test, impact to the game itself, dominance over a certain amount of time, longevity, versatility, teammates/resources etc
Moses Malone, Isiah Thomas, Bill Walton, John Stockton, Bob Petit, Bob Cousy, Earl Monroe would probably be in that same range of players in the mid-teens/early 20s. Kevin McHale, Clyde Drexler, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitski, Chris Paul, Walt Frazier, James Worthy, Dominique Wilkins would likely be on that list as it continues. I likely still forgot some people
He’s my favorite player of all time and i think he’s 5th
1.MJ
2.Kareem
3.Magic
4.Bill Russell
5.KOBE Bean
My humble opinion
The Kobe Scam is Almost Over.
His last 4 years were putrid and he was guaranteed over 100 million dollars.
link to basketball-reference.com
link to basketball-reference.com
Oscar scored, rebounded, and had assists.
Kobe pretty much just scored.
If you look at his yearly top ten stats he was mostly at the 6-10 slots except for total points. He clearly was never one of the top 5 players in the NBA at any time in his career.
Field Goals Missed by Kobe
2001-02 NBA 848 (5)
2002-03 NBA 1056 (2)
2005-06 NBA 1195 (1)
2006-07 NBA 944 (1)
2007-08 NBA 915 (1)
2008-09 NBA 912 (1)
2009-10 NBA 853 (2)
2010-11 NBA 899 (1)
2011-12 NBA 762 (1)
2012-13 NBA 857 (2)
Active 13919 (1)
Career NBA 13919 (1)
Career 13919 (1)
You’re an bias, idiot grasping ar straws.. Kobe never a top 5 player in the league? Never once? He’s a top 5-10 player EVER. Much less once in the league. No doubt an average casual fan that has no idea about the sport.
A bias* at* phones keyboard is a joke
It is actually somewhat arguable that he was never a top 5 player in the league depending on how you look at certain players, but I do think he was for a few years, and if he wasnt, I definitely wouldn’t say that it was “clear.” That doesn’t mean he wasn’t an all time great, and it also doesnt mean that he doesnt still outrank them in totality of career. I think it just speaks to the talent in the league. As I said, I still think he is in that 12-18 range all time, and I don’t think that is some sort of slight. That being said, you would want the reasoning he used in his comment to be better than that. Still, everyone has their opinions based on different variables. If you think he is a top 10 player, you have your reasons for it. I will agree that anyone that doesn’t at least have him in their top 18 either has a really biased thought process or just doesn’t know much about basketball
He’s gotta be top 10. An absolutely unstoppable scorer most of his career, he also had a will to win that few can match. It’s a crime he only won one MVP. He also could rebound, draw fouls, pass, and was a shutdown defender.
Mj
Kareem
Magic
Wilt
Kobe