If by best you mean that no one in the L can stop him, Kobe was the best from 00 to 02, and from 05-07, and arguably the best from 09-10 I don't hate CP3 or Nash for winning those MVP's because they were well deserved. But individual talent/ dominance wise, Kobe was the best at least in three years out of the last decade AI had heart, Tmac had raw talent...But none had both in the way Kobe did. Don't hate, appreciate
Even JVG can't stop him: <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yo-u9MIuews?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yo-u9MIuews?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
Don't worry about Red_Alertz. He's just a fail Kobe nuthugger troll who cant realize that MJ's individual accolades as well as the contribution he had in his championship runs far outweigh Kobe's.
Well to be fair to Kobe that because he's amazing. BTW Wade is only 2 years younger than him, I have no idea why he came to the scene so late. Plus, I really like the way Kobe has handled his image, he doesn't hide the fact that he's a bit of a douche behind a PR facade like MJ/Tiger Woodes, but at the same time he doesn't go full r****d and piss everyone off like Lebron/Tmac. I personally think his focus and competitive fire is bigger than MJ's. If they had been given the same talent I think Kobe would have become a better player, I certainly don't think he would have retired 2 times.
We're on a Rockets site so I'm surprised no one has corrected him yet. Look at Hakeem's 88-89 season... 200+ steals, 200+ blocks.
Maybe every other wing of his generation. But he hasn't led a team to more titles than Duncan or Shaq, and they arguably have a better resume than he does (Duncan for sure). As far as other wings go, he hasn't led a team to more titles than Magic or Bird, who also both have more accolades than him. So maybe he's the closest "shooting guard".
I think it's definitely reasonable to say Jordan was the best player of all-time, but I also feel the marketing behind him has really biased people's opinion. Obviously the MVPs, the scoring titles and championships are facts, but the league and Nike did a great job of pushing the idea that Jordan was Mr. Perfect and the greatest. You don't see nearly the same push for Kobe, although being accused of rape could've been why. I am no Kobe fan, but watching him play I think no one in the league has been better at making difficult shots.
How about that PF that led his team to 2 more titles after Shaq left and never missed the postseason? Kobe fans try to take what happened in the latter part of the decade and apply it to his whole career, while forgetting how dominant Shaq and Duncan were during that timeframe. In the mid 2000's the talk was Kobe could be replaced by other star guards. Now folks wanna rewrite history and make it seem like he was the best player in the league then?
Didn't realize that, I was surprised when my source said Jordan was the only player. ****ing wikipedia let me down.
Kobe was by far and away, the best player in the league from 2004-2010. I don't even think that is arguable. He was taking D-Leaguers to the postseason.
You think MJ retired the first time because of his competitive fire? Rather than, perhaps, the fact that his father had just been murdered?
It's actually quite arguable. Duncan led the Spurs to titles in 05 and 07. LeBron was arguably the games best player from 2008 and on. If you want to knock him for not winning in that timeframe then I don't see how you rationalize Kobe clearly being the best from 04-07. In 04 LA was upset by Detroit. No playoffs in 05. First round exits in 06 and 07, with a blown 3-1 lead to boot. It's hard to compare a big to a small but again, y'all are recreating history regarding what Shaq and Duncan accomplished pre 08.
What makes me a Kobe fan? In fact, I've been accused of being a Kobe hater, several times on this board, because I've said some of his exploits and his comparisons to MJ have been somewhat overrated. Though rewriting history, hardly. You know perfectly well, you are splitting hairs between Duncan and Kobe, while Kobe could arguably be considered better. In fact, the Sporting News, Slam Magazine, and TNT all named him the best player of the decade. Moreover, he's has been able to sustain his level of play a little longer than Duncan. You could even argue that Duncan's best seasons coincided with Shaq in LA. Again, I will say much Duncan was not quite as dominant as Kobe was, while he didn't stay at his highest production level as long as Kobe has.You could say with Duncan, his production started to decline around 28-30. Kobe is still arguably amongst the top 4 or 5 players in the league at 33 years old, while Duncan was shell of his former self at the same age. You also have to say Kobe started playing pro ball, much sooner as well. Also in Kobe's behalf, he's been a top 2 to 5 player, since 01-02, easily. Not saying he was an inferior player, but he didn't quite take over games the same way. I should also say the Spurs only beat the Lakers, once in the playoffs. The talk was who could replace Kobe, but in reality none could or did. He did not fade out like those players. His influence in those playoffs runs were either nearl or as important as Shaq's. He wasn't always flawless or played basketball that made his team unbeatable, yet I don't think Duncan has either.
