The Great Debate: Where Does Kobe Bryant Rank Among NBA Greats?

Something that's so interesting about legacies is how such minute circumstances can change the way someone is remembered. Basketball has become the sport in which a player is judged not only on his individual performance but how successful his teams were.

This is quite different from a sport like baseball, where the success of a player isn't associated as closely with team success. Remember who was considered the greatest hitter of all time before people finally got smart to what was REALLY making so many balls fly out of the parks? Yes, it was Barry Bonds. How many World Series did the Big Cheat win? Zero. Many still believe Ted Williams was the greatest hitter ever, and yet Teddy Ballgame's frozen fingers remain ringless.

So why exactly does basketball place such a high emphasis on winning championships? It has nearly everything to do with Michael Jordan. Aside from being the greatest player of all time, His Airness also willed his team to six championships in his final six seasons in Chicago. Because of his winning ways, Jordan created the concept that the great ones in basketball not only be judged by how they did on the court but by how their team did.

A point that has been beaten to death but merits mentioning: Jerry West went to nine NBA Finals and won only one championship, a statistic that would probably make him more likely to be given the moniker "The Goat" rather than "The Logo."

So to get back to the original point, Kobe Bryant's legacy depended on a best-of-seven series against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. If he succeeded, he would throw himself into the pantheon of the great ones. If he lost, he'd probably be remembered as one of the best sidekicks. Always a bridesmaid never a bride, just like Scottie Pippen. 

Fortunately for Kobe and the entire Los Angeles area, the Lakers managed to defeat an overwhelmed Magic team in a mere five games. With that being said, we can move onto the list. 

1. Michael Jordan: Six titles, six Finals MVPs 'nuff said.

2. Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt brought up a very good point to MJ when the two were arguing over who was the best to play the game. He told him that they never had to change the rules to stop No. 23 from being so dominant. An interesting argument, however, Wilt, you still won four less championships than Michael, and you were able to dominate in ways that a 6'6'' shooting guard never could. That's why you're looking up at his Airness as he flies overhead. 

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:The man was the definition of consistent. In his first 12 seasons in the NBA, Jabbar never finished outside of the top five in MVP voting. Add that to the fact that he won six NBA championships and that two players further down on the list only won when he was around, and you can see why the artist formerly known as Lew Alcindor is so high up on the list of the great ones. 

4. Bill Russell: There's a reason they named the NBA Finals MVP after him. The man wreaks of championship rings like Brian Fantana wreaks of Sex Panther. In fact, in his 13 seasons in the NBA, Russell won 11 Titles. He can't match the offensive abilities of the three players above him, but his defense was that of legend. It's difficult to say just how good he really was, because the NBA didn't keep track of blocked shots while he played in the league. 

5. Magic Johnson: Magic was one of the most electric players the NBA has ever seen. Along with Larry Bird, he helped rejuvenate the NBA. Johnson was LeBron James before LeBron could spell 'King'; he was a point guard in a power forward's body who played at a breakneck pace at all times. He didn't have the scoring prowess of LeBron, but his career assist total of more than 10,000 is good for fourth all time. Couple that with more than 18 points and seven rebounds per game, and that's why Magic will always be remembered as one of the greatest. 

6. Oscar Robertson: "The Big O" may have been the most well-rounded player ever to touch a basketball. Still the only man ever to average a triple double in a season, Robertson failed to win a title until he moved to Milwaukee to play with Lew Alcindor, forming one of the best inside-out combinations of all time. 

7. Larry Bird: "The Hick from French Lick" was truly a phenomenal talent. Probably one of the hardest workers in basketball, Bird won his three NBA MVPs consecutively, something only Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain can say they've accomplished. Bird played on the immensely talented Celtics teams of the 1980s that featured Hall of Famers Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and an aging Bill Walton. 

8. Shaquille O'Neal: The Big Aristotle wins wherever he goes, and he does it in style. After taking the Orlando Magic to the Finals, Shaq bolted to Hollywood to make more bad movies and win three NBA titles alongside Kobe and Phil Jackson. A feud with Bryant sent Superman to Miami, where he teamed up with Dwyane Wade to deliver a championship in South Beach. Shaq won all three Finals MVPs with the Lakers and was named the MVP in 2000. when he lead the league in scoring, was second in rebounding, and third in blocked shots. 

9. Tim Duncan: What!? Tim Duncan ahead of Kobe? How could it be? This is an interesting point that I don't believe anyone has brought up over the last few weeks. I really believe Duncan has been getting shafted. He's won just as many rings as Kobe, and his supporting cast does not even come close to what Bryant has had. His first two rings came with David Robinson. An all-time great? Absolutely. On his last legs? With Duncan, yes. After The Admiral retired, Duncan has won his championships alongside Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and a group comprised largely of journeyman castoffs.

Also remember, Parker hadn't really established himself as a premier point guard until their final run to the Finals in 2007. Remember when the Spurs were pursuing Jason Kidd after winning the NBA Finals with Parker as their point guard? Just shows you how much confidence the Spurs had in Mr. Longoria.

On top of a weaker supporting cast, Duncan played a position where the greatest historically didn't win championships. Elvin Hayes never won one, and more recently Charles Barkley and Karl Malone both could never lead their teams to championships. The power forward position is littered with ringless greats because it is difficult to dominate a game without a reliable perimeter game and the size that many of the great center's possessed. That, above all makes Duncan's four championships and three Finals MVPs all the more impressive. 

10. Kobe Bryant: Well Kobe, you finally won one without Shaq. You can now be placed in the conversation with the great ones.

It wasn't like you did this one on your own, though. Pau Gasol was sensational, Trevor Ariza played his way to a huge payday, and if Lamar "The Candyman" Odom hadn't gotten his daily dose of Reese's Pieces, Stan Van Gundy's creepy mustache would probably be kissing the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy instead of you.

However, credit will be given where credit is due. You won this championship without a legit Hall of Fame sidekick, something few people can say. Also, you pretty much willed your team to victories past Houston and Denver and came up big in big moments. Congrats, on ring No. 4 Kobe, it finally got you in the top 10 list of the greatest players ever.

That is until LeBron catches you.