1. Kobe Bryant
Probably everyone reading this watched the Black Mamba in action. Anybody ranked ahead of Jerry West had to be a very special player- and Kobe was indeed extraordinary. One way to measure his greatness is to look at some statistics:
• He played 20 seasons in a Lakers uniform. No one else played more than 14.
• He played 1,346 regular season games- 253 games more than anyone else
• He scored 33,643 points- 8,451 more than any other Laker scored
• He ranks 4th in points per game (25.0) and, somewhat surprisingly for a big-time shooter, 7th in average assists (4.7).
His superlative performance continued in the postseason. Kobe played more games and scored more playoff points than any other Laker. He was 4th with 25.6 points per game. And he finished in a 5-way tie for most NBA titles, with five.
Next, we can take a quick look at career scoring highlights. He tallied 40 or more points 135 times (3rd all-time behind Chamberlain and Michael Jordan) plus 12 more in the playoffs; 50 points 26 times (10 in the 2006-07 season, including five straight games) and 60 points six times.
We can also review Kobe’s most memorable scoring outbursts. 81 points against Toronto (2nd in NBA history) in 2006. 63 in just three quarters (outscoring the entire Dallas team) in 2005. A Madison Square Garden record 61 points vs the Knicks in 2009. His magical 60 points in his final NBA game against Utah in 2016.
How about Bryant’s awards and honors? He was voted All-NBA 15 times, 12 on the first team. He was named to 18 All-Star games (16 straight). He was voted league MVP once (and 11 times made the top 5), finals MVP twice and all-star MVP 4 times. And he made the All-Defensive team 12 times, nine on the first team.
For his career, Kobe finished 3rd all-time in the NBA in points scored, 12th in points per game, 6th in field goals, 3rd in free throws and 30th in assists. All these stats are mind-boggling. But Kobe can also be measured by his clutch moments. Bryant, who had what Lakers announcer John Ireland called a “flair for the dramatic”, was one of the all-time best end-of-game shooters, when the game was on the line.
Just ask some of the league’s best defenders- Portland’s Scottie Pippen and Ruben Patterson, San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen, Sacramento’s Doug Christie, Phoenix’ Jason Kidd, Miami’s Dwyane Wade or Cleveland’s LeBron James. Kobe burned all of them at the end of a game, some more than once.
Bryant will, of course, be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2021.
The Lakers retired both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys in 2017. And Lakers owner Jeannie Buss has indicated, to nobody’s surprise, that a statue in Kobe’s honor will be erected outside Staples Center in the not-too-distant future. All are fitting honors to one of the best players in NBA history.
For those following closely, the chronological order of the 10 best shooting guards is: Selvy-West-Barnett-Goodrich-Cooper-Scott-Jones-Bryant-Young-Clarkson.
All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com