On Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Since then, all the discussion has been about Kobe’s place among the NBA greats.
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With 27,239 career points and moving up the scoring list himself, Dirk Nowitzki believes Kobe is the greatest player in his generation via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
“He’s probably the greatest player in my generation that I played against,” said Nowitzki, who has 27,239 career points and will likely pass Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone over the next few weeks to move up to seventh on the list. “Obviously Shaq was very dominant, Tim Duncan was great, but I just loved watching Kobe. I don’t think there will ever be another MJ, but he’s definitely as close as it gets that we’ll ever see.”
As most players and fans have stated, Jordan is considered the greatest player of all-time, but Kobe has been the greatest since Jordan retired. Many players have been compared to Jordan coming out of high school and college through the years, but Kobe has put himself in the conversation with his individual accolades and five championships.
While the discussion will continue, Kobe is seeking one more championship in what will likely be the final two seasons of his future Hall of Fame career. Although the Lakers are not expected to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the franchise will have ample cap room and potentially a top-five pick in this year’s draft.
[divide]Lakers Kobe Bryant Passes Michael Jordan On NBA All-Time Scoring List