Written by: Elijah A.
Kobe Bryant has proven that his career
isn't over just yet.
Nearly grabbing a scoring title against
now three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant was an impressive feat for the 33
year old future Hall of Famer. Although he probably has at least a couple years until he retires, Bryant has already been rightfully placed in the conversation with all-time greats. But where does he fit in with the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson?
First of all, let's dispel the myth that he can even be compared to Jordan. Magic said himself that, "…there's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
Bird remarked after a playoff game that he played against "God disguised as Michael Jordan."
These guys are top 10 players of all-time and here they are saying that Jordan is on a different level then they were.
Bryant averages less points per game than Jordan and has less MVPs, NBA championships, scoring titles, and fewer
achievements for just about everything.
Put simply, there is
no comparison between 23 and 24. Now where does Kobe fit in
among all-time Laker greats?
Magic Johnson was a five-time
champion and generally regarded as the greatest point guard of all time. At
6'9", Magic was one of the most well-rounded talents the NBA has ever seen. He
averaged 19.5 points per game, 11.2 assists per game, and an astounding 7.2
rebounds per game.
The former Laker point guard also has more
MVPs (3) and Finals MVPs (3) than Kobe. Many may regard Kobe
as a clutch performer, but this ESPN ranking
give the best playoff performance to Magic Johnson (and Kobe isn't even in the
top 10). In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't able to play
due to injury.
So Magic Johnson, a point guard, played
center. His 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals
led the way for the Lakers to beat the 76ers and legend Julius
Erving. And that was in his rookie
year.
There are two more Laker legends ahead of Kobe: Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar. Shaq was the most dominant player of his
generation. In the Lakers three-peat from 00-02, "The Diesel" won every single
Finals MVP award and even reigned in a regular season MVP award in
2000.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is another big man who simply
dominated the game. Six NBA championship titles, six MVP awards, 19 times an All
Star, and of course the NBA's all-time scoring leader. There isn't much of an
argument for Kobe against the legendary career of Kareem.
That
makes Kobe the fourth best player to play in Hollywood and therefore not a top
five player in NBA history.
Considering the staggering
achievements in the careers of Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Bill Russell,
Kobe drops down at least a couple more spots. He and Tim Duncan are in a similar
spot among the NBA's greatest.
So is he in the top 10 of all
time? Possibly. But top five? Definitely not.
Original Source: Basesandbaskets.com
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