Well at this point if you haven’t heard of the major Laker milestone that was reached last week you are probably either living under a rock or some shack out in the middle of Bumblef*** where there is no outside contact with media. In either case, you wouldn’t be reading this. So I would just like to give credit where credit is due. Even though I don't always see eye to eye with the guy, I have to give props since he has now solidified himself as one of the greatest if not the greatest Laker... COACH of all time. Yup not talking about Kobe, I'm talking about Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson just passed Pat Riley as the winningest coach in Laker history. Now he owns both win records for two for the most famed franchises in the game, the Lakers and the Bulls making him one of the greatest coaches in history. Kobe also hit a milestone as he passed Jerry West to become the leading scorer in Laker history. While this is a great milestone in its own right, this does not change where Kobe stands in even the Pantheon of Laker Greats .
There is no denying that Kobe is a hard-worker: He is at the gym before anybody and will probably be the last one to leave. He's got a killer instinct that is unrivaled. He has both the understanding of the game and the drive that has allowed him evolve into the most complete player in the game today. He's had the wisdom to recognize his age and alter his game in a way that has probably extended his career at least 2-3 years but there is just something inherently off-putting about the guy. I think it has gotten to the point that it would be hard for me to give props to Kobe for anything just because of who he is in his regular life. This is the same guy behind the handshake deal to get Shaq out of LA, the same guy that cheated on his wife, and the same guy that takes pot shots at teammates at a moment's notice. The one time Kobe decided to be a team player is the last time the Lakers were able to win the NBA title so really the team is at the whim of whichever way he decides to play the game. Will Kobe play the role of Bill Russell, an unselfish legend willing to do everything necessary in order to secure the win for the team. Or will he go the way of Wilt Chamberlain, a legend in his own right, but unwilling to sacrifice his own stats for the good of his team, thus causing him to only win 2 NBA titles to Russell's 11. If Pau Gasol's comments are any indicator then I'm leaning toward the latter. Maybe it's not fair to incorporate someone's personality into a judgement of one's career but if I am a GM starting a team and I could pick from any of the Laker greats, Kobe isn't even top 3...
1. Magic Johnson - One of the greatest offensive innovators in the game who had a knack for not only athletically confounding his opponents, but also made the teammates around him better. He redefined the point guard position with his unique combination of size, creativity, vision, and just overall "smoothness" on the court. He won 5 NBA titles and 3 MVP awards and probably would have had more if not for his early retirement. Most people agree that Magic was not just a nickname, it was truly the only way to describe what that man would do on the court.
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar - With his athleticism and size he was almost unguardable by many of the outmatched centers in the league during his career. He really changed the nature of the position with his unique skill set. The NBA's all time leading scorer as well as 2nd in blocked shots and 4th in rebounding. He is a 6 time MVP and a 6 time NBA Champion (5 with Lakers)
3. Jerry West - 2nd all time for the Lakers in scoring, Averaged a 4th best in NBA history 27.0 points per game and a 2nd best (behind Jordan) 29.1 ppg in the playoffs. That's without the help of the three point line and had to share the majority of his points with another legend of the time, Elgin Baylor. He was an All Star for all 14 seasons he played, and though he won only 1 NBA title it might have had something to do with going up against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics constantly...
4. Kobe Bryant (The only reason Wilt himself was not put here ahead of Kobe is because he wasn't with the team long enough.)
Honorable Mention: Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O'Neal
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