Because he averages 4 more ppg, more steals, free throws, higher free throw %, more 3 pointers from like 40ft out, a slam dunk championship, 3 rings (say what you will Kobe won a lot of those Lakers playoff battles down the stretch like when he dropped 44 on San Antonio in the Western Conference finals), all while averaging 4.5 assists a game which is not a horrid figure. And by the way he averaged around the same amount of assists as Lebron last year and his team went no where. He is the only scorer on the team now. And people say he broke up the Lakers chemistry that is bs. Shaq didn't get along with Penny Hardaway either. Shaq is just as much to blame in that situation. The real problem is 2 players of that caliber can't coexist. You can't put Jordan with Chamberlain and think they won't fight for who's in charge.
203833
Real simple.  Kobe can do anything on the offensive end as well if not better than LeBron, yet he plays FAR better defensively than LeBron.  Comparing them currently is easy, Kobe is a better player.  LeBron is a better player at this stage than Kobe was at the same age though.  LeBron has the potential to be as good and maybe a little better than Kobe, but not until he learns how to play defense and then put forth the same effort at both ends.
641790
you guys dont know your basketball..\nkobe bryant is the best basketball player ever\nthat isnt an opinion\n\nif the question is "who is the best player in the nba?" its kobe bryant without a doubt\n\ni think he overcame more than anyone in this league and loves this sport more than anyone\n\nhe practices far more than a normal human should and i think that shows\n\nstat wise .. "oh hes a ball hogger" haha .. or the fact that he wont get a mvp award \n\nis because of his team\ndont even start with me\n\nkobe bryant overcame jordans accomplishments \n\nkobe is a better player than micheal \nwanna argue? i dare you\n\nkobe is #1\n\nlebron doesnt know a thing about defensive switches and weak offensive help\nhe isnt #1 now he is way too young \nbeing #1 doesnt look upon their stats .. rookies..\n\nwade is going to hurt himself he is skillful in SOME ways but in others he is ignorant and immature \nhe'll get hurt in no time as a.i experienced\nquote me on that\n\noverall\nkobe is #1 as of now\n\ndirk nowitski is getting there\n\n#1 - kobe bryant\n#2 - steve nash\n#3 - dirk nowitski
639639
DAMN BI** ASS KOBE IS THE WORST BALL HOG THE NBA HAS EVER SEEN!!!\nHE TAKES SHOTS WITH 3 PPL ON HIM WHILE HIS TEAM-MATES ARE OPEN I THINK HE SUCKS!!!!!!!
594791
lmao he is better off playing basketball and he is great at it and  without kobe lakers wont be in the finals!!! GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!and kobe is my fave bball player him a soccer player lmao
293171
OK bro I'm a answer your question because I know what you mean. Firstly I think a lot of people comment on the NBA and don't know much about it. They know stars and commercials and what others say and they might watch some games but they don't know in depth stat analysis. For example most of these people making these comments are making them as if they only started watching Jordan when he returned from retirment the fist time when he couldn't really average over 33 anymore because he slowed down physically. Secondly they don't like Kobe because he's a good looking black dude married to a white girl or almost white girl that's way hotter than any girl that ever liked them. So many whites would like to beleive that he's a rapist because it reafirms there superiority complex that a good looking black man would want to rape an average white chick just cause she's white which a lot of people know is complete BS. Because I'm sure some playboy bunnies have tried to throw panties at him. Kobe is not a perfect player but neither was Jordan, and I don't think anyone can say that they have seen a player never make mistakes on the court. Jordan's shot to win his 6th championship was an offensive foul. Yes Jordan was my favorite, and Kobe is the best right now and he is very unfairly judged by people who act like it doesn't hurt the man. How can you run around calling someone a rapist if he might not have done it? You know what that must be like for him? Kobe is the best hands down and these people are ruining his career, and I hope some fairness prevails in the end. The only thing that Kobe needs to improve is instilling confidence in his team mates, but irregardless he is the best in the NBA. His dunks look better than Lebron's. He shoots better and has a nicer handle. How exactly people are hating on this is beyond me. I've seen Kobe do stuff that Lebron will never do and people can scream Kobe's a rapist and Lebron is MJ till they are blue in the face but it won't alter the truth. That being that Kobe is the best since Jordan and even if he fails from here on out it's because he is being mentally abused in this country right now. Just say he didn't rape that girl. O.K. because of what he really didn't do he deserved to be robbed of the MVP award and his commercial pressence? And Shaq never got along with Penny Hardaway either that's why he went to the Lakers! And last year Kobe scored less and they won less. Bro they are retarded don't even bother with them. They said Jordan was a ball hog back in 1988 and he would never win a championship! And Kobe's bad for cheating on his wife like oh say America's favorite white actor Brad Pitt! The kid above me is right in what he's saying about Wilt and Russell. But I think where Kobe and Jordan get the edge is in entertainment factor. After all the NBA is entertainment and they make more spectacular plays.
662439
People will always say Lebron or Shaq, but you have to see if scoring a bunch of points makes them great. If Shaq didnt weigh 300 lbs and was only 6'6" like M.J. he would be working at McDonalds. He sucks. He is only good when he is 3 feet from the rim. Kobe is better than Lebron but excluding those 2 Wade is coming up very fast. It took more than Shaq to get them to the finals right? Kobe #1   Lebron #2    Wade#3     Shaq#12
30385
I think he is a very good basketball player. He is one of the best basketball players today. People get to stop judging his playing abilities on what he does off court and what his does on court.
168222
Kobe did get robbed. You even gave proof with the stats you gave. The Lakers wouldn't have 15 wins without Kobe. The Suns would still have a pretty decent team. And Kobe doesn't need to make everybody better. He can carry a team by himself. All he needs is a Scottie Pippen and he's gonna win a another championship.
182120
Well obviousley they could be DANGEROUS.  They would be more than dangerous.  Kobe would give them the ball because he only shoots so much now because he has to if he wants his team to win.  They would definatley be a championship contender again.  And It kinda ticks me off when you all say that Kobe is a ball hog.  Who else can consistently score points on that team?  If they want to win, Kobe has to do what he does.  Lamar Odem/Smush Parker/Kwame Brown/everyone else! is way to inconsistent.  That was just the team he was given and he has to take the shots that he does.
283508
Kobe is really ridiculous, he sucks. Yea he can score 81 points which is impressive, but he had like 2 assists. All that means is that he is a ball hog, thats it.
173344
So Kobe can score more than every othe NBA player? Big deal. Even if that makes him the most skilled player in the NBA, it doesn't make him the most valuable player. Steve Nash-led teams(Suns and Mavs) have led the league in scoring for 4 out of the past 5 years, and if you ever watched the Suns even once this year and compare them to last year, you can see that Nash made the players around him better. I could write an article on why Nash deserves the MVP award.
612515
Shaq! 4 championship (2001-2003, 2006), 3 Finals MVP, etc.\n\nAnd he continues to attract double teams, which gives more opportunities for his teammates to score! particularly Dwyane Wade!
471970
NO ONE!!! I THINK YOUR A STUPID PERSON IF YOU WILL THINK THAT KOBE BRYANT ALREADY SURPASSES WHAT JORDAN HAS MADE. KOBE COULDN'T EVEN BRING LAKERS INTO THE FINALS ALONE! WHEN SHAQ LEFT LAKERS, SINCE THEN, IT WAS A HORRIBLE SEASON FOR THE LAKERS. AND FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE ALONE, JORDAN IS STILL BETTER THAN ANYONE IN THE NBA TODAY! EVEN JAMES, IVERSON, WADE, ANTHONY, CARTER ETC. CAN MATCH THE LEGACY THAT JORDAN MADE!
203590
I think what all of you are saying is BS.  First of all, about the rape thing... he was found innocent if you remember.  And about being a ball hog, thats what he has to do to win games!  Lamar Odem had two concecutive triple doubles before the Suns game tonight anyway, so obviousley other people are scoring and he is passing it.  But if his team wants to win, Kobe has to take shots.  And if he makes a lot of the shots he takes, which he obviously does, then it's fine in my point of view.  Kobe is an amazing player, and the most like MJ in the game today.
538740
bill russell was a winner in grade school, high school, college and the nba....maybe its because he belongs to the era long time past but these people who think of others as the greatest never bother to look up russell's winning accomplishments.... and to those of you who chose chamberlain, you might want to check how russell dominated their encounters to wilt's frustration and you have the gall to choose wilt over russell...and remember michael jordan did not win his first title until he was six years in the league and bird, magic and kareem were fading or away from the battles....11 rings in 13 nba campaigns says it all and he even played in 12 finals....no player ever has ever achieved 12 finals in 13 seasons and to say no one will ever again is a safe bet....being great should never be about personal records, flashy plays, or scoring many points...it should be about winning and there is no bigger winner than the great Bill Russell
120946
There are different things that make basketball players great.  When you look at a player like Jordan, he was a great scorer and a great defender.  He also made players around him better.  With a player like Shaq, he gets a bad rep because of his free throws, but in reality there has never been a big man of his size that was so good with the ball.  He is a great passer, he is very quick for his size(he has slowed down with age), he runs the court very well, and he has great hands.  He is the most dominating player in the league right now.  Most people that big can't walk and chew gum at the same time.  Shaq is also very unselfish.  If you ever listen to him speak, he always praises his teammates and coaches and not himself.  Kobe Bryant on the other hand still has to learn how to become great.  He needs to improve his defense and learn how to pass the ball a little better.  You are right that scoring 81 points does not make you great, but he did do it against an NBA team.
506648
because he guards the basket, he isn't very fast laterally, has short arms, and doesn't jump well.  he is always around the hoop, and since he's so tall we remember him getting dunked on more, so it's partly perception and partly fact