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.