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Comparing the work of Kobe Bryant to 10 all-time NBA greats
Basketball is a team sport by heart and practice, but it is also one that can be dominated by the individual. Few other individuals in NBA history dominated the game as soundly as Kobe Bryant, and while he’ll remain one of the more polarizing figures in league history, we thought it fair to discuss some of the more similar (because of skill set, production levels, era and playing style) players that we’ve seen as Bryant prepares to retire.
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Oscar Robertson
The Big O spent the bulk of his career trying to get to what Kobe was gifted right out of the gate – a pairing with a dominant, all-world center. Prior to winning a title with then-Lew Alcindor, however, Oscar set the NBA’s statistical pages ablaze with his own brand of dominant, methodical ball. Famously, he averaged a triple-double in 1961-62 in just his second season and just missed out on entering his sixth season with triple-double marks as his career averages. The amped-up possession counts and iffy shooting percentages of the era dim those hallmarks a bit, but it hardly takes away from Robertson’s achievements.
The Kobe comp: Despite being the deepest reach on this list, in a lot of ways it is possible that Robertson is perhaps Bryant’s closest match. He was a domineering presence both on the court and in the locker room, literally backing his way into score after score on his way to career averages of 25.7 points per game and a combined 17 assists/rebounds, spending a goodly chunk of his career hoping for a second star teammate that was just as dyspeptic and obsessed as he. Plus, just as with Robertson, can’t you imagine Kobe spending a retired lifetime endlessly (sometimes possibly even charmingly) carping on the abilities and toughness of active players?
Jerry West
The man who traded for Kobe on 1996’s draft night and acted as his mentor for four years following, West’s all-around skills were so potent that he led a rotating cast of Lakers to nine different NBA Finals, though his teams took only one championship. West deftly worked both backcourt positions as the situation called, while playing aggressive defense, working in an era that cost him even more scoring opportunities because of the lack of a 3-point line. More than any other guard on the offensive end, West helped usher the NBA away from the rolling jump hooks and set shots of the previous era and into a more modern approach.
The Kobe comp: In a lot of ways it’s hard to separate the two. Not only did West make Kobe an eventual Laker for life, but if Bryant ever ran an NBA team you could see him taking the same approach as West did during the 2000 Finals – heading to a movie theater during the deciding game, too anxiety-ridden to watch a contest he couldn’t control. West’s career averages of 27 points and 12.5 combined points/rebounds compare nicely with Kobe, and his 2.6 steals in his final age-35 year were impressive. West has Kobe licked when it comes to setting up an offense as a de facto point guard, however.
David Thompson
Skywalker didn’t invent the alley-oop finish, it was around in various forms prior to his (dunk-less, because of the NCAA rules of the day) time at North Carolina State, but he and oop-mate point guard Monte Towe popularized it. A superb athlete with touch and timing, Thompson was the leading scorer on a Denver Nuggets team that made the final ABA Finals, and kept up his high-wire act in the NBA. Thompson averaged 25.4 points per game (counting his lone ABA year) in his first six seasons as a pro before off-court injuries and torn knee ligaments sent his career into a spiral.
The Kobe Comp: Clearly, Bryant has longevity on his side in this back and forth, and the “COUNT-THE-RINGZ” types can have their way with this one, but Kobe played a whole heck of a lot like David Thompson in the early part of his career. Given a good bill of health both on and off court, it’s debatable as to whether Thompson would have been able to grow into the sort of fallaway jumper game Kobe developed later on, especially with his 6-4 frame, but for a while there these punchy players looked a lot alike. Although Kobe got him by eight points.
George Gervin
One of the rare stars whose NBA per-game scoring totals actually dwarfed his ABA numbers (playing a year with Dr. J will do that), Gervin’s wispy frame, smooth touch and long arms helped him notch four scoring titles before he left the league at age 33 to work on off-court issues while playing overseas. Gervin made the All-Star team in every season but his first and final, and was the central scoring figure on a series of contending Spurs team that never seemed to turn the corner.
The Kobe comp: Gervin put up numbers, and Kobe’s never been averse to that. Gervin did not play defense, and after 2003 (according to Phil Jackson) Bryant’s work on that end kind of mirrored as much as he looked to extend his career while still acting a dominant force offensively. Their rebound rates were the same, and both showed an innate ability to find the glass on a shot when needed. Gervin exuded ultimate cool while Bryant raged and seethed, but the box scores ended up looking rather similar in the end.
Clyde Drexler
Drexler was an all-around contributor whose skills and abilities transferred well into his deep 30s. When he retired in 1998 to take over the University of Houston coaching job, it was almost astonishing that Drexler (coming off a season that saw him average 18 points, 5.5 assists and nearly two steals) would walk away at age 35. As a Trail Blazer, Clyde averaged nearly 21 points and 11.9 rebounds/assists (along with those two steals) on a series of loaded teams that routinely made deep playoff runs. Twice he averaged over 27 a game.
The Kobe comp: Like Bryant in Los Angeles, Drexler had to bide his time off the Portland bench for his first two-plus seasons before taking full control of the swingman spot. And, like Kobe, Cylde probably took a few too many 3-pointers despite diminishing returns. Still, the two were both long and rangy players who could use trickery or straight-up bowl through you; and, as former scribe and current Memphis Grizzlies front office staffer John Hollinger noted when comparing the stats of Michael Jordan and Bryant a decade ago, “Kobe is probably a lot closer to Clyde Drexler than he is to Michael Jordan.” That’s not a diss.
Michael Jordan
At this point, the greatest player to ever work the sport. Despite the fact that he (or, possibly, “aided by the fact he”) missed nearly six full seasons because of injury or retirement, Jordan still finished his turn as the NBA’s then-second all-time leading scorer. Michael came out of the gate dominating on both ends, routinely leading the NBA in scoring while pulling in the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. Won six titles, twice without the aid of a single teammate that made that year’s All-Star team.
The Kobe comp: As it has been since 1997, here’s the big one. Bryant falls short in several areas, two of them (as Phil Jackson has pointed out) literally: Jordan was taller and had longer hands, allowing him to survey the defense while palming the ball baseball-style. Jordan’s reign as a dominant defender lasted until he took a step back in his final season in Chicago, while, according to Jackson, Kobe has kind of mailed it in since 2003-04. Jordan has him by a nose in terms of rebounding, passing, not turning the rock over, steals and blocks. And, much to Kobe’s consternation, rings.
With that in place, this is as close as you get. Bryant’s game, practice habits (even down to his personal trainer, borrowed from MJ), mannerisms and approach were all directly lifted from Michael Jordan. Why? Because if you want to be the greatest, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You always steal from the best, just as Jordan did in watching those who came before him – be they influences coming from the NBA, the three major North Carolina-based NCAA hoop teams, or his brother in the backyard.
It’s perhaps the best tribute we can give Kobe to call him the closest to Michael Jordan that we’ll ever see.
Ray Allen
Retired as the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history. A rangy athlete to begin his career, even participating in the 1997 dunk contest (alongside Kobe, who took the award), Allen stayed a potent scorer until it was time for him to turn into a third wheel and then eventual role player with two championship teams in Boston and Miami. Despite his reputation as an offense-first contributor, Allen took what he lacked in terms of defensive footspeed and instead focused his energy on an obsession with precision and routine. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that 16 out of 16 playoff teams would fall over themselves to have him on their roster right now, some 22 months since his last NBA game.
The Kobe comp: Bryant’s 1996 draftmate and longtime combatant looked similar in terms of frame, but the similarities end there. Ray Allen obviously has Bryant in terms of long-range shooting – a typical night in Bryant’s last game on Wednesday will result in him hitting for just a third of his career 3-pointers, while Allen notched a cool 40 percent. Kobe takes the edge in terms of ball-handling, athleticism, all-around play and defensive potential, though.
Allen Iverson
The top pick in the 1996 draft and recent Hall of Fame inductee, Iverson was a dervish in an era that featured a staid and brutish two-man style of basketball. Winning Rookie of the Year in his first season, Iverson led some lacking 76ers squads to the playoffs in his third and fourth years before taking his team all the way to the Finals in 2001. Iverson led the NBA in scoring four times and steals three different times.
The Kobe comp: If you thought Kobe Bryant had trouble sharing the ball, get a load of this guy. For the duration of his Philadelphia career, Iverson chafed at being paired with anyone whose shot totals ranked any higher than that of, say, Tyrone Hill. Despite the steal totals, Iverson was a minus defender, and though Kobe can take a few plays off, you can also ask him to make up for it by locking down a team’s best scorer late in contests – something the diminutive Iverson was unable to do. Iverson, taken 12 spots ahead of Kobe in the 1996 draft, was just a different and lesser player, despite his superior career scoring average.
Dwyane Wade
A star from the word “go,” Wade’s uncanny knack for putting the ball in the basket paired nicely with his ability to act as playmaker, lead the break and play spot defense (named after the way his coaches yell at D-Wade after spotting him taking a few plays off on that end). An All-Star in his second season and champion in his third, Wade went on to win two more rings in Miami and remains a consistent and deserved All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2009 and despite the lack of a 3-point shot, Wade gamely took advantage of the relaxed hand-check rules that were engaged in his second season.
The Kobe comp: Easily the closest mirror image Bryant has ever matched up against, Wade and Bryant appear to be from two different generations, but in reality the two guards are just four years removed in terms of age. The similarities (if you toss out Kobe’s injury-plagued final three seasons, as one should) are uncanny in terms of the statistical bent and the 75-word scouting report. Ah, but for the injuries: Wade has missed nearly 200 games because of injury in his 13-year career.
LeBron James
Pegged as the NBA’s Next Great Thing upon entering the league, James has more or less exceeded even the highest of individual expectations, though the pressures of the potential GOAT burdens (and the vicissitudes of still having to work in what is still a team game) have gotten to him at times. Still, it’s hard to argue with the ungodly numbers: 27.2 points per game, 14.2 combined rebounds/assists and 2.5 combined blocks/steals. Two titles and six Finals appearances for LeBron thus far.
The Kobe comp: One is relatively carry-on size, the other has to be checked. Bryant isn’t exactly a wispy waterbug waiting to be pushed around, but James’ unholy combination of Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, and, well, Kobe Bryant doesn’t create many easy direct lines. Bryant is a scorer first, and despite James holding the edge in points per game (Kobe had to play with Shaquille O’Neal for eight seasons, to be sure, but James has paired with his own set of high-usage All-Star teammates for six running seasons so far), James would rather survey first prior to savaging. LeBron has Kobe by a wide swath defensively, and his rebounding and playmaking are superior.
With that in place, Bryant has rarely suffered fools gladly, while James has set himself back at times by either surrounding himself with fools, or acting a fool when things get a little bent (“bent” in ways both good and bad). James is objectively the better player, but the age-old question remains – whose career would you prefer?
We do know this: For Kobe Bryant to leave the NBA having drawn up deserved comparisons to the work and legacies of the 10 players listed above, he appears to have enjoyed a fairly successful run.
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is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
