Does Kobe Bryant Belong in The All-Time Top 50?

Kobe Bryant: one of the most prolific scorers of all time.

Kobe Bryant: three championship rings and an MVP Trophy.

Kobe Bryant: Top 50 of All Time?

The upper echelon of the NBA includes Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and His Airness himself.

According to NBA.com, the top 50 players of all time have combined for 107 NBA Championships, 49 Most Valuable Player Awards, 17 Rookie of the Year honors, 447 All-Star Game selections, 36 scoring titles, 923,791 total points, and 410,327 total rebounds.

Impressive indeed.

I submit that Bryant has a greater career PPG (25.0) than 43 of the 50 players and is tied with two. Bryant has averaged more assists per game than 32 of the game’s greatest (4.7). He has also out-rebounded 14 of the 50 players on that same list (5.3).

The case for Bryant reaches far beyond statistics, though. It reaches into greatness. It grabs hold of history and begins to separate out the wheat from the chaff.

Beyond scoring titles, beyond MVP’s, beyond even championships, we must reflect upon these things: dominance, drive, and sportsmanship.

These are characteristics that some men have, and some men learn. Bryant is the latter.

Kobe is known for his 81-point effort, his feud with Shaq, and his ability to pass up a shot like a fat kid passes up ice cream. All selfish attributes.

But there seems to be a new Kobe Bryant. Having begun to see that his team isn’t spelled Ko-Me, it is clear that his intentions are to make those around him better.

He hasn’t hit the level Jordan ascended to, nor can he come up to Wilt’s height. But Kobe has begun to carve out his own niche.

Maybe it isn’t to be called the next Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, or Scottie Pippen, but his niche can certainly be described as unforgettable.

Here is one author who asks for a re-do to the 50 best of all time. Maybe this time instead of Hal Greer or Dolph Schayes, we can have the best of any generation included: Kobe Bryant.  

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