Is kobe bryant the best basketball player?

Kobe Bryant is probably the best pure basketball player in the NBA right now. That's not to say he's the best teammate or an MVP, but he's the best "PURE BASKETBALL" player, which attests to his physical skills and his abilities. On the subject of whether or not Kobe will ever pass Michael Jordan's fame... the answer is a resounding no. For one, Kobe doesn't have the general appeal that Jordan has, or probably ever will. Bryant is too polarizing of a player. There are so many people who are not fans of the Lakers or of Kobe, and that will hurt him. Plus, he's not head and shoulders above the best players of his time. He's not that much better than guys like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, and more are almost as good, if not as good. There isn't anything that Kobe does that is better than anyone else. He's a terrific all-around player, but he isn't the tops of any one skill. Ray Allen is a better pure shooter, LeBron James is a more natural playmaker, Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest are better on-the-ball defenders, Allen Iverson might be a better pure scorer, there really isn't anything that Kobe stands out on. Third, Kobe hasn't had the commercial success that Jordan had or still has. Kobe's never been featured by Nike, he's one of many. Jordan was the face of not only Nike, but for basketball shoes in general. We still talk about "being like Mike" or his McDonalds and Hanes commercials. In the end, Kobe is a great NBA player, but he will never have the commercial success Jordan had. To expect that of him would be unfair to Kobe.

I totally agree with the first poster too. Kob eis probably the best in the league right now and definitely one of the greatest of his time. However, no matter what Kobe does, he will not surpass Jordan as the greatest of all time. He consistently shows an inability to make his team better and this is one of the traits that Jordan showed throughout his career. Every star needs a supporting cast or the shows not going to be any good. Kobe hasn't realized this and so tries too hard to do everything on his own. Jordan will be regarded the greatest for a long time to come.

I think the 1st poster has said it all. And I totally agree. Not in Kobe's lifetime will he ever surpass Michael Jordan's popularity. The player that will surpass Michael Jordan's appeal and charisma has not been born yet in my opinion. It would probably be in another generation or so before we could see another player equally great as Michael Jordan.

skillswise, yes maybe he is. he's the best scorer the nba has seen so far and the best individual player. kobe bryant has the potential and ability to become the nba's top scorer of all-time when he retires. he's got more than 20000 points already in his career and the good thing is that, he's still half-way. he could definitely surpass jordan, malone and abdul-jabbar in the all-time scoring list. but as an overall player, i dont think he's the best. he's even far from best. compare him with basketball legends like michael jordan, magic johnson and larry bird, bryant is no way near these guys. he lacks leadership and maturity, he still need to develop it. he's got three rings working as a shadow to shaquille o'neal in the lakers glory days, but has not led the lakers far since big daddy shaq left considering that he even have phil jackson to guide him

Umm Kobe is definitally the best one on one basketball player, but playing with a team he is more of a ball hog it seems. The best overall player in the league has to be Nash and thats because he can pass and shoot just as good as anyone else. Will Jordan be surpassed? No.

Kobe is the best scorer in the game but not the best player in basketball.His offensive skills is topnotch ahead of other superstars,he also has stamina to score a lot of points.no doubt he can grab back to back scoring titles, and if the Lakers win the championship.People are going to respect Kobe's style of play and imitate him...