He ain't Kobe, Magic, Kareem or LeBron, but he's better than Duncan.

Titles in the modern basketball era begin with Kareem's introduction to the NBA in 1971.

Lakers: 12

Celtics: 7

Bulls: 6

Spurs: 5

Warriors: 5

Some say it's Magic/Bird 1979.

Lakers: 11

Celtics: 6

Bulls: 6

Spurs: 5

Warriors: 4

Curry is the worst player ever to be considered a great player. Goober couldn't defend my grandmother.

 

a tragedy that Duncan never won it

In May 2001, Kobe Bryant was the youngest player ever to be the best basketball player in the world. While Allen Iverson won the 2000-01 NBA MVP award that month (announced May 15), Kobe's performance during the 2001 playoffs was considered by many, including Shaq himself, to be at a "best in the world" level. 

 

Yes, Phil Jackson stated that Kobe Bryant worked harder and was more obsessive in his training than Michael Jordan.

Greatest basketball players ever:

Kareem

LeBron 

Jordan

Magic

Kobe

19 hours ago, harveycmd said:

Greatest basketball players ever:

Kareem

LeBron 

Jordan

Magic

Kobe

No Wilt ? and Magic couldn't play great defense which knocks him out of top 5.

Wemby 1st playoffs road game

27points 11 rebounds 7 blocks

Edited April 26Apr 26 by GoHorns1

On 4/23/2026 at 12:37 PM, Roysterr said:

No Wilt ? and Magic couldn't play great defense which knocks him out of top 5.

Magic was a really good defender in the first half of his career. He led the league in steals and was the first player ever who could defend all five positions. 

I'm not a Spurs fan, but I'd bet they'll beat OKC and then win the title.

Spurs to the Western conference semi-finals

Can't resist. AI search prime Kobe Bryant (roughly 2000–2010) is widely considered better any current NBA player. 

11 pts 15 reb 12 BLKS (nba record for a playoff game)

Wemby had an off game, still had a triple double, and we only lost by two with a shot to win it.

On 4/30/2026 at 12:05 PM, harveycmd said:

Can't resist. AI search prime Kobe Bryant (roughly 2000–2010) is widely considered better any current NBA player. 

If it was possible for a GM to have picked Kobe over Wemby, that GM should never be allowed to be involved in any sort of basketball decisions ever again.  The last comparable to Wemby is Wilt and maybe Kareem.  Arguably Wemby has a better skillset than Wilt and may even be better than him in the longrun.  Could Wilt have shot the three is an interesting question.   Wemby is clearly more skilled and athletic than Kareem—granted Kareem had a ton of miles on him by the time he went pro after four years at UCLA.  
 

The comparison for Kobe is MJ and no one credibly claims that Kobe was ever as good as MJ.  Even the best players who played against both say MJ (Isaiah Rider etc).  Kobe gets glazed because of nostalgia. No one seriously thinks Kobe was better than MJ, but Wemby has a shot at being the best big man of all time given what he is already doing.  He just has to stay healthy for a long time—which is really what made Kareem and Wilt great and able to put up monster career statlines.  Put Lebron into that category as well.  Lebron managing to stay healthier at his age is also a testament to his legacy.  

11 minutes ago, Hookem72 said:

If it was possible for a GM to have picked Kobe over Wemby, that GM should never be allowed to be involved in any sort of basketball decisions ever again.  The last comparable to Wemby is Wilt and maybe Kareem.  Arguably Wemby has a better skillset than Wilt and may even be better than him in the longrun.  Could Wilt have shot the three is an interesting question.   Wemby is clearly more skilled and athletic than Kareem—granted Kareem had a ton of miles on him by the time he went pro after four years at UCLA.  
 

The comparison for Kobe is MJ and no one credibly claims that Kobe was ever as good as MJ.  Even the best players who played against both say MJ (Isaiah Rider etc).  Kobe gets glazed because of nostalgia. No one seriously thinks Kobe was better than MJ, but Wemby has a shot at being the best big man of all time given what he is already doing.  He just has to stay healthy for a long time—which is really what made Kareem and Wilt great and able to put up monster career statlines.  Put Lebron into that category as well.  Lebron managing to stay healthier at his age is also a testament to his legacy.  

We'll see how it pans out. I think Wemby is the best player now. Kobe had two titles at the age Wemby is now, and he'd already proven he was the best player in the clutch. Wemby is almost a foot taller and has physical advantages that no player in NBA has ever had. I hope the Spurs keep the meth state from winning another NBA title they don't deserve.

I'll add that Kobe wasn't better than Jordan. He wasn't physically close to LeBron or Kareem. He didn't control games like Magic. What he did was outwork everyone and maximize his talent more than all others. If you do an internet search on who is the hardest working athlete ever, Kobe comes up as first. Kobe is the most skilled basketball player ever. Phil said Kobe worked harder, was smarter and had more responsibility than Jordan, but he still wasn't as good because Jordan had bigger hands. Phil said that Kobe called the defense and called audibles on offense from 1999 until he retired. Jackson never let Jordan do that. 

Some one asked me what does it mean that Kobe called the defense and offensive audibles from 1999 on.

That means Kobe called all defensive plays from the time he was 21. It was always man. Kobe called the coverage: drop, press, front the post, back the post, jam the passer, deny, etc. Kobe called the switches. Whether they were going under, over, and which guys switched on who. Kobe called the traps. Who trapped whom and where on the floor. Kobe called ball pass denials. Kobe called all double teams. 

On offense the Lakers ran a system: the triangle. There was no initial play call from the bench. It was a movement and pass system from the ball side bock. Many intricacies went into the movement, but defensive movement determined who went where and when. Kobe was the only player on the floor who had the authority to break the system and call different movements. Pippen played that roll for the Bulls in the 90s.

 

On 4/27/2026 at 4:16 AM, harveycmd said:

Magic was a really good defender in the first half of his career. He led the league in steals and was the first player ever who could defend all five positions. 

I'm not a Spurs fan, but I'd bet they'll beat OKC and then win the title.

They have to beat MN first.

If it was possible for a GM to have picked Kobe over Wemby, that GM should never be allowed to be involved in any sort of basketball decisions ever again. 

 

Given that Jerry West told Shaq that Kobe was better than him in 1996, I'm guessing that Jerry would have taken Kobe over Wemby. No one in their right mind would have ever fired Jerry West as a GM.

Edited May 5May 5 by harveycmd

Yes, drafting and acquiring Kobe Bryant in 1996 is widely considered Jerry West’s greatest draft pick and executive move. After a legendary workout, West traded Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 13th pick to select 17-year-old Bryant, a move that fundamentally changed the Lakers franchise. [1, 2]

Unmatched Evaluation: West called Kobe’s pre-draft workout the best he had ever seen, noting that the 17-year-old was superior to veteran players.

The Trade: West manipulated the 1996 draft, trading starting center Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 13th pick to secure Bryant, while simultaneously clearing cap space to sign Shaquille O'Neal.

Historical Impact: This move led to five championships, setting up the 2000-2002 three-peat and solidifying West’s legacy as a GM.

Context: While West made other great moves, and famously said LeBron James was potentially the best athlete he had seen, his, "I brought Kobe to Los Angeles" sentiment confirms Bryant as his most critical personal draft

4 hours ago, harveycmd said:

I'll add that Kobe wasn't better than Jordan. He wasn't physically close to LeBron or Kareem. He didn't control games like Magic. What he did was outwork everyone and maximize his talent more than all others. If you do an internet search on who is the hardest working athlete ever, Kobe comes up as first. Kobe is the most skilled basketball player ever. Phil said Kobe worked harder, was smarter and had more responsibility than Jordan, but he still wasn't as good because Jordan had bigger hands. Phil said that Kobe called the defense and called audibles on offense from 1999 until he retired. Jackson never let Jordan do that. 

By your metric the greatest of all time should be John Stockton.   

I think ranking basketball players who played different positions in the same column, so to speak, is silly; e.g., comparing Jordan and Wemby. 

Wemby is dazzling, but a bit fragile.  He is so good as a stretch 5 that he is already in the conversation with Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Shaq, and Jokic.  Time will tell.

He isn't a wing. He isn't a point guard. 

Jordan wasn't a power forward or a point guard or a center.  He was the best shooting guard ever and could defend a wide range of opponents.

Can we keep all that straight, or do we have to continue comparing apples and oranges?