Lakers: Is Kobe Bryant A Top 10 Player of All Time?
By Eric Yee
Eric Yee, Co-Editor
It must be prefaced by saying that my selections were made by asking which 10 NBA players I would most want to build a team around.
1. Michael Jordan
An infinite amount of platitudes could be used to describe why Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, but something that normally flies under the radar is the fact that he could have won eight NBA Championships in a row — even now, I’m hesitant to replaced “could have” with “would have.”
In the years that Jordan was gone, the Chicago Bulls finished third and fifth overall, proving that they were a well oiled machine even without Jordan.
In the modern era, six titles is unheard of, so imagine if Jordan won eight in a row like he should have. Legend.
2. Magic Johnson
Magic is arguably the greatest teammate of all time. He could pass, score, rebound, play whatever position you needed him to as a 6’9″ point guard.
People often compare Lebron James to Magic, but what they fail to realize is that Magic had the same mentality that Kobe and Jordan possess, and that puts him on a completely different tier.
If you’re not convinced: between 1980 and 1991, alongside Kareem, Magic led the Lakers to 9 out of 12 NBA Finals.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Being the all-time leading scorer has to account for something and Kareem certainly has the jewelry to show for it. Six rings in 20 seasons puts him in the top 10 winningest players of all time.
They had to make a rule so he couldn’t score so easily for Pete’s sake! Cap was amazing and would be a perfect piece to build a team around.
4. Kobe Bryant
Kobe’s the closest thing we’ve ever seen to Jordan and the ring count supports the claim.
If I’m building a team, I want a player who will do absolutely anything necessary to win, a player with the same killer instinct that made Jordan, Magic and Bird so great, and this is Kobe’s defining characteristic.
If only he had bigger hands…
5. Tim Duncan
Five rings in three different decades is reason enough to put Duncan in at fifth.
Duncan led in a different way than Jordan, Magic or Kobe, but his timelessness, adaptability and commitment to the game plan make him the ultimate power forward.
6. Larry Bird
Bird and Magic were head to head in their prime but Bird’s ring totals just don’t match up.
Bird was one of the baddest men in the game, with his ferocity rivaling only that of Jordan or Magic, but poor timing and injuries got the best of him.
7. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq might have been the most physically dominant big man ever. 7’1″, 320 pounds with some of the craziest fast twitch muscles you’ve ever seen.
If he and Kobe would have put their differences aside, and he would have devoted more time to being a basketball player than a Hollywood star, Shaq could have been the greatest big man of all time.
8. LeBron James
LeBron was the only player I was ever scared of actually surpassing Michael Jordan in terms of being the greatest of all time. The potential was there physically but mentally LeBron still doesn’t have that edge.
At the young age of 30, LeBron still has the capability to accomplish amazing feats, but the chance to dominate opponents in the manner that Jordan did are long gone.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
Up until his last three seasons, the Hakeem the Dream was a walking 20-10. Not many have the honors of winning back-to-back championships, but Olajuwon made the most of Jordan’s timely departure from the game.
10. Moses Malone
It was a tough call but Moses Malone barely edged out The White Mamba, Brian Scalabrine, for 10th best player of all time.
The Chairman of the Boards’ stats speak for themselves and verify his awesome nickname. 25 points-18 rebounds in ’78, 31 and 15 in ’81, Moses was a monster.
Malone only has one title to show for his efforts, but this was during the Magic-Bird rivalry where LA-Boston Finals were almost a given.
Next: Co-Editor Cody Williams' Rankings