has Kobe reached, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson status? Do you guys believe he is or perhaps will end up being better? Kobe is a better athlete, can PLAY Defense, and he is clutch... your thoughs please?
kobe is the greatest player in the history of the nba. wilt, russel, bird, magic, jordan are all somewhat pathetic in comparison. kobe is the main reason the lakers won 3 straight championships. shaq was clearly his second fiddle as evidence by the lakers continueing dominance since he left. did shaq, jordan, bird or magic ever score 81 points in a single game? i think not. end of story
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">kobe is the greatest player in the history of the nba. wilt, russel, bird, magic, jordan are all somewhat pathetic in comparison. kobe is the main reason the lakers won 3 straight championships. shaq was clearly his second fiddle as evidence by the lakers continueing dominance since he left. did shaq, jordan, bird or magic ever score 81 points in a single game? i think not. end of story</div> tell me this was a joke.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">kobe is the greatest player in the history of the nba. wilt, russel, bird, magic, jordan are all somewhat pathetic in comparison. kobe is the main reason the lakers won 3 straight championships. shaq was clearly his second fiddle as evidence by the lakers continueing dominance since he left. did shaq, jordan, bird or magic ever score 81 points in a single game? i think not. end of story</div> are you serious?? Jordan-6 rings,Russel-11 rings,Magic-5 rings,Bird-3 rings, with all due respect Kobe is a dominant and great player but you cannot say that he is the best player in NBA history you got The Big O, Wilt Chamberlain who scored 100 in a game. Sorry but Kobe is not the best player in NBA history no matter what you say. Kobe has to be in the top 20 or 25 in NBA history.
Wait wait, before we argue here.. Individual player or team player?? I think Kobe definitely has a chance against Jordan in individual play. But, this is too early for Kobe. Kobe has to show us more than he already has to be ahead of Jordan. If you talk of Team play.. Kobe is definitely not up their. Magic, Jordan have had much more success. Kobe could be up there in the future, but i dont think he could be known as a "team player" ...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drunkenbarden:</div><div class="quote_post">are you serious?? Jordan-6 rings,Russel-11 rings,Magic-5 rings,Bird-3 rings, with all due respect Kobe is a dominant and great player but you cannot say that he is the best player in NBA history you got The Big O, Wilt Chamberlain who scored 100 in a game. Sorry but Kobe is not the best player in NBA history no matter what you say. Kobe has to be in the top 20 or 25 in NBA history.</div> whats the matter, havent u guys ever heard sarcasm before?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post"> whats the matter, havent u guys ever heard sarcasm before?</div> apparently not
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post"> whats the matter, havent u guys ever heard sarcasm before?</div> Yeah then you corrected yourself. Once Kobe hit the 81 mark, I think that lowered him down to the top 30 greatest ever.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dagoods:</div><div class="quote_post">has Kobe reached, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson status? Do you guys believe he is or perhaps will end up being better? Kobe is a better athlete, can PLAY Defense, and he is clutch... your thoughs please?</div> I don't think he's reached their status. They're both considered top-10 players of all time. Kobe is probably more somewhere in the 20-30 range, I think (some might say even less than that). And he probably won't be regarded higher until he can make his team a winner, or at least get them to the Conference Finals, without Shaquille O'neal. Also, perhaps the best thing about Bird and Magic was their court vision. Kobe has pretty good court vision, but he's not nearly in their class.
I think he has reached larry bird and magic johnson status. I don't think he has reached MJ status, and I doubt he ever will.
To tell the truth, Kobe career wise still has ways to go, he's not even close to Bird and Magic. Kobe right now is probably in the Top 30-40 range all-time, but I'd say closer to 30, it's hard to rank the players off the top of your head. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I think he has reached larry bird and magic johnson status. I don't think he has reached MJ status, and I doubt he ever will.</div> At 28 when his career accomplishments still have some ways to go to get to theirs? I don't think so. Kobe hasn't reached the level of guys like MJ, Wilt, Russell, West, Bird, Magic, Olajuwon, Oscar etc... Man, I don't even know how this is arguable. Bird won 3 consecutive MVP's in a great era of basketball. Bird did 5 times as much as Kobe has so far at 27. Bird was 27 at the beginning of the season when he won his first MVP, he had also been second in MVP voting for three straight years before that. He was fourth the year before that. Kobe has been third once, fifth twice, was ninth once and eleventh once. It’s nowhere close to Bird’s, I mean, not near at all. If Kobe wins MVP ths year [which he won't], he still won't be close to Bird. Kobe right now is at the same range as George Gervin, Barkley in terms of career accomplishments at this age. He's still got ways to go, and he's similar to those guys, but still not as good as them at this point.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post"> Kobe right now is at the same range as George Gervin, Barkley in terms of career accomplishments at this age. He's still got ways to go, and he's similar to those guys, but still not as good as them at this point.</div> I think I'd put Kobe ahead of Gervin. Not Barkley though.
Like others said in the 20-30 greatest of all time. Id say hes hanging around with guys like Stockton, Isiah Thomas, and Havlicek.
Kobe Bryant...a player that people just don't like to admit his greatness. But lets be honest. Comparing him to Larry Brown and Magic Johnson is "unthinkable" as he would say. But why really, Magic Johnson always had the luxury of having a cast that can lead him to victories that could lead him to greatness. Larry Bird, same story. Kobe <u>HAD</u> that luxury, he no longer does. But does that take away from his greatness, i don't think so. Some say by him scoring 81 he proved he's a great player, others say that night he proved how selfish he can be. But what would you do, with skills like kobe, if you see your team loosing against a team they obviously needed to beat. They can't seem to get a decent shot up, and they are obvioulsy going to loose. I think inside of all of you you'll do the same as kobe did, he stepped it up for his team. Was he selfish? No! He would still distribute the ball, but when he got a clear oppening and obviously with the hot hand he went for it. I don't think he has reached Magic status, but will he. Most likely he'll be better. I'm not going to say he is going to get 6 rings like MJ or 11 like Russel, but is he gonna just a GREAT as them. I say it with all the confidence...<u>He sure will!</u>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I think I'd put Kobe ahead of Gervin. Not Barkley though.</div> So who I outside of the fact that Gervin did his thing for longer, so far. Gervin was not a very all-round player, or much of a defender.
Where you rank all time isnt ALL about career accomplishments. I think people put too much weight on that. People in here are saying PROBABLY top 30, I say EASILY top 20. Hes definitely the 2nd best to ever play his position.
I think he is overhyped. Everyone gets on his band wagon because he scored 81 points. Well done, so what. MJ, Bird, Magic, Russell, West and the list goes on, were all exceptional players, individually and as part of a team. They were also winners. While Kobe has the luxury of 3 rings, he also had the second most dominant big man in history right beside him. So while Kobe is a great player, do not go over board. When his career is done I am sure he will have his rightful place in the NBA top 50 but over and above that I'm not so sure about.
Kobe has to win a couple of more championships to be on the same level as magic and bird. Hes determined to get it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GiantMidget:</div><div class="quote_post">Where you rank all time isnt ALL about career accomplishments. I think people put too much weight on that. People in here are saying PROBABLY top 30, I say EASILY top 20. Hes definitely the 2nd best to ever play his position.</div> Did Jerry West dissapear from the face of the planet? Oscar could make an argument too if you wanted to rank him as a SG. This isn't career accomplishments, it's that some of these guys did what Kobe is doing for more than 1 or 2 years, you can't rank him over them from just one or two years of performance at their top level when they did it for 5, 7 years.
