Where Does Kobe Bryant Rank Among the Game's Greatest Players?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will be recognized as one of the greatest players in NBA history once he finally decides to hang up his sneakers, but exactly where will he fall on that hallowed list?

I consider the top five players in NBA history to be Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain in no particular order.

Those five players, along with Larry Bird, are each responsible for revolutionizing their respective positions, and changing perception on how the game was viewed.

Magic and Jordan are universally considered to be the greatest players to ever man their positions, while Jabbar, Russell, and Chamberlain are the standard that any center will ever be measured by.

Does Bryant's resume place him in this elite company?

It's always a tricky subject discussing Bryant and his place in NBA history, because his polarizing nature creates critiques which fall outside the lines of basketball.

For this reason opinions on Bryant vary wildly, and while some observers may place him firmly in the top 10 of legendary players, others do not even consider him to be among the top 20.

Bryant's career accomplishments however paint a different picture, and if a person were to go solely by the statistics he has accumulated, it's hard to argue with those numbers.

Magic holds a special place in the hearts of many Lakers fans, but Bryant's numbers suggest he has already surpassed Magic as the greatest player in the history of the franchise.

Bryant has more career points than Magic, and if he manages to win one more championship he will be considered the most successful Laker to ever play the game.

But Magic's contributions to the game transcend the court, as he, Bird, and Jordan are credited to renewing interest in what was once seen as a dying sport.

Likewise, Jabbar, Chamberlain, and Russell each touched the game of basketball in fundamental ways that Bryant will find it difficult to match.

Jabbar stands as the NBA's career leader in points scored, while Chamberlain may simply be the greatest offensive talent the game has ever seen.

Russell is to defense what Chamberlain was to offense, and his dominance in the paint is seen as the main reason the Boston Celtics were able to win an inordinate number of championships during his time.

It will be hard for Bryant to be mentioned among this hierarchy, because even though he has had a spectacular career, nothing he has done could ever really be considered revolutionary.

But what if Bryant eventually eclipses Jabbar for career points, and charges ahead of Magic for the number of championships won as a Laker?

Could anyone justify not ranking Bryant among the game's top 10 players then?

I will go one step further and say if Bryant does end his career as the NBA's career leader in points scored and surpasses Magic in championships, then he deserves strong consideration for residency among the top five.

Bryant's career has reached a point where his accomplishments make it hard to deny him a place among the NBA's greatest players, and personality issues aside, his game speaks for itself.

The hardest thing for Bryant to overcome will be the constant criticism he has endured throughout his career, and the perception that his first three championships were won on Shaquille O'Neal's coattails.

Bryant's critics often point at his career 45 percent shooting from the field, and the amount of talent he was surrounded by during his championship runs, but other players in the top five also benefited from advantages.

Chamberlain was the most dominant physical specimen of his time, while Magic, Jabbar, Bird, and Russell were surrounded by talent that rivals anything Bryant has seen throughout his career.

I recently wrote an article concerning Bryant's ability to establish a superior legacy despite the criticism and negative perception that has dogged his career, but the story is far from finished.

Bryant has a few more seasons left as an elite player, and who knows what else he may accomplish before his playing days are finally done.

Some people will never view Bryant as a top five talent regardless of what he ever does on the court, but his career numbers could make their opinions a moot issue after history has its say.