No, not at all. All of these guys are fantastic, but Kobe Bryant is the best and most famous. Bill Russell was a champion, but Kobe was a greater player, dominating on both sides of the court throughout his career (Bill Russell was primarily a defender). Kobe has five championships. He's also won three MVP awards. Russell won one MVP award.
Kobe made his debut in 1996, so he's old by basketball standards (he's 36 now). But he's still playing great basketball and showing no signs of slowing down. He already has more than 100 victories, which is equivalent to about four full seasons of play.
Kobe has only lost two games in his entire career (both times he had shoulder surgeries). He's averaging nearly 30 points per game during those seasons. He has 12 years in the NBA, which is more than anyone else - Michael Jordan had 11 seasons in the NBA.
Kobe has six straight seasons with at least 20 goals scored, which is a record. He also has a record number of triple-doubles (11).
Kobe has been awarded with five championships, three MVPs, and several other awards. He's already in the Hall of Fame. So it isn't even a question that he's one of the best players in NBA history.
I've come to the opinion that none of the all-time greats are better than Kobe Bryant. His abilities, determination, dribbling skills, pump-fakes, passing, ability to produce in a clutch, and overall game are unrivaled.
Kobe's best skill was knowing how to play to his strengths while still being effective when he played within himself. He was always an elite defender, but he also was capable of playing out of position at times if needed by his team. On offense, he was equally as effective setting up teammates or taking over games with his ability to score in a variety of ways. He was never really known for his work ethic or basketball intelligence, but those attributes weren't necessary for him to be one of the best players in NBA history.
Kobe used his size, strength, and agility to protect the ball and pull down rebounds on defense, and on offense he used his excellent touch around the basket and mid-range jumper to score using both hands. He also was very good at drawing fouls and making free throws.
Kobe's trademark was his unstoppable fadeaway jump shot, but he also was capable of scoring using stepbacks, floaters, and runners. He was also able to create his own shot by pulling up from mid-range or using finger rolls toward the hoop when defenders were focused on him.
Kobe Bryant sealed his place in history as one of the greatest basketball players of all time after guiding his team to a fifth championship this past June. Barkley said on TNT last season that Kobe was a top ten player of all time....
Bryant, considered one of the best basketball players of all time, won five NBA titles, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, a 12-time All-Defensive Team member, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
He also has the most championships of any player in the history of the NBA: eight with the Lakers. He is only the second player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards, after Michael Jordan. Bryant also holds numerous other records, including most points by a player his age or younger (33,977).
Bryant was selected as an all-star for the first time when he was just 19 years old. At the time, this made him the youngest all-star in NBA history. The last rookie to be an all-star was Larry Hughes in 1986.
Bryant was again named an all-star last season at the age of 26. This makes him the fourth player in NBA history to be an all-star four different times. The last player to do so was Michael Jordan who was able to take over games with his scoring prowess, which made opponents pull him out of the game. This allowed others to come off the bench and contribute scorers'status upsets in some cases.
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