Los Angeles Lakers News & NBA Poll: Where Does Kobe Bryant Rank All-Time Among Best Players Ever?
Kobe Bryant is officially the third leading scorer in NBA history.
With more than 32,300 career points, Bryant now has more points than the great Michael Jordan.
So that begs the question: Where does Bryant rank among the all-time great players in NBA history?
Bryant is easily one of the three best players of the 21st century, along with Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. There's been other fantastic players in this generation to grace the court such as Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James, but Bryant, Duncan and O'Neal are on another level.
With championships, Most Valuable Player Awards and scoring titles, there's virtually nothing Bryant hasn't accomplished. Bryant has been arguably the greatest clutch shooter of all-time, with game-winning shots and five NBA championships to show for it. Of course, playing alongside O'Neal didn't hurt, but Bryant was able to prove the doubters wrong by winning two back-to-back championships without "The Diesel."
Former Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest player in NBA history. Bryant did surpass Jordan's career scoring mark, but Jordan still averages five more points per game. Bryant isn't the single greatest of all-time, but he's certainly top 10 material.
Other players in the running include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bryant has been criticized by many for not passing the ball enough, but his assists numbers are better than many people think. Bryant currently has 6,046 career assists, the 30th most in NBA history. Considering Bryant has played his entire career as a shooting guard, this may be his most underrated achievement. Winning two championships without O'Neal cemented Bryant's legacy as an all-time great, especially considering he won them without a Hall of Fame teammate. Pau Gasol is great, but he's not Scottie Pippen or Magic's Kareem.
Among the best scorers in NBA history, Bryant is by far the best perimeter shooter. The only other player to make more than 1,000 career 3-point shots who is ranked in the top 10 scoring is Nowitzki.
One of the biggest knocks against Bryant is that he had the benefits of having a Hall of Fame head coach (Phil Jackson), and he prohibited the Lakers from making big offseason additions by not accepting less money.
In his prime, Bryant was also a great defender who fit the triangle offense very well. Two losses in the finals doesn't stack up very well when comparing him to Jordan, but even Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain lost four times on the big stage.
One of the reasons Bryant easily ranks among the top 10 players ever is because of his all around game. O'Neal had free throw issues, Johnson wasn't a perimeter threat, Bird wasn't the best from inside the paint area, and Julius Irving didn't have a great jump shot. With a deadly 3-point shot, phenomenal dribbling, great driving to the basket skills and a clutch gene, Bryant has the full arsenal.
So where do you think Bryant ranks all-time? Feel free to vote in poll below
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