Kobe Bryant.
Greatest NBA player ever?
Alright, let's be honest - he isn't the greatest NBA player ever. That's Michael Jordan, hands down. That can not be debated. And if you debate it, then you clearly know nothing about basketball.
But how about Kobe for second greatest? Third? Fourth?
At the very least, Kobe has to be fifth or sixth all time. If he wins the title this year? He would be pretty damn close to third or fourth.
He has the career stats to back it up: 15 seasons, 25.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 46%F, 6th most points all time, etc.
He also has 5 NBA championships and one MVP. He should arguably have more than one MVP (2002-03, 2005-06, 2006-07). He has a legitimate chance to win more than 6 rings and has a shot at ending his career as the all time leading scorer.
He may not have been the best teammate in the world, but listen to any story about Michael Jordan and you will quickly learn that he wasn't the best teammate either. You may also say something like "Kobe couldn't win one on his own! He needed Shaq and then Pau Gasol!" Name me one NBA superstar who "won one on his own?" Jordan had Pippen (top 20 all time) and Rodman (top 60 all time). Bird had McHale and Parrish. Magic Johnson and Kareem had each other. The list goes on and on.
And yet with Kobe being such a bad teammate, he has still won 5 rings. That is more than anyone but Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Kareem (and I am only counting those who are in the running for greatest ever - aka I am not counting Satch Sanders and his 8 rings while riding the coattails of Russell).
Kobe is also one of the greatest because he has evolved as a player. Some players live off one move or their athleticism until they lose it and stop being a great player. The true greats evolve their game and add a number of moves that can't be stopped. Jordan did it. Kobe is still doing it. Also, Kobe has been named to 8 first team all defensive teams, second to MJ and Gary Payton.
Kobe has shown endurance, scoring prowess, defensive dominance, and the ability to win. What more do you need?
So is he the greatest ever? No.
Does he have a chance to finish his career anywhere between second and fifth? Absolutely. And for my honest projection? I have him finishing third.
7 years ago
Why do we just assume the Jordan is better than Kobe? What more does Kobe have to do to be considered the greatest? Make a movie with Looney Tunes?
ReplyDeleteAsk any expert who has watched both play and they will all say Michael Jordan. Most casual fans will say the same thing. Jordan was just clearly more dominant on both ends of the floor than Kobe was, is, or ever will be. I get hated on for pointing to statistics, but every major stat will say Jordan is better than Kobe too. The Bleacher Report, NBA.com, ESPN.com, Bill Simmons, and almost every other basketball website and expert ranks Jordan number one. I doubt that many people are wrong.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, SpaceJam definitely helped MJ extend his lead. I mean, have you ever seen the movie?
Anony,
ReplyDelete1) MJ won 6 rings and 6 finals MVPs
Kobe won 5 rings and 2 finals MVPs what does that mean? it means his first 3 championships were thanks to Shaq.
2) I know this will spark the Pippen Rodman convo so I'm just going to end it with what Brian said:
""Kobe couldn't win one on his own! He needed Shaq and then Pau Gasol!" Name me one NBA superstar who "won one on his own?" Jordan had Pippen (top 20 all time) and Rodman (top 60 all time). Bird had McHale and Parrish. Magic Johnson and Kareem had each other. The list goes on and on."
the Point I'm trying to make is that yes they both had help but MJ was the most valuable player on all of his teams...not sure if Kobe can make the same case...
3)dare I say finals MVPs are more important than rings?!
(FYI Kobe has never won a championship without Fisher...just something to chew on)