Where does Kobe rank in your Top 5 Lakers of all-time?
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com: Kobe ranks second on my top-5, all-time Lakers list. And since I give bonus points to those who spent their entire career with the franchise in question, my list is 1) Magic Johnson, 2) Kobe Bryant, 3) Jerry West, 4) Elgin Baylor and 5) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kobe’s talents, drive, capabilities and accomplishments are second to none but Magic helped to revive both the Lakers and the league, is the point guard on my by-position all-time NBA team (Kobe is a backup) and remains my word-association response when I hear “Laker.”
Fran Blinebury, NBA.com: Two decades, five rings, 17 All-Star teams. It’s certainly enough to put Kobe into the conversation and I’ll respectfully listen. But Kareem and Magic are at the top of my list. One is the all-time leading NBA scorer with six MVPs and the other was the spark that lit the flame on five championship teams, nine Finals appearances in 12 years and began the modern era of the Lakers as the league’s most dominant franchise. I’ll put him a tie for third with Jerry West.
Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: Second or third. I have always said Jerry West is No. 1 because he was a positive for the organization at most every level, a superstar as a player and executive and good in a brief run as a coach. After that, it’s Kobe and Magic or Magic and Kobe. Years after this question became commonplace, I still don’t know how to split 2 and 2A. Johnson was a great player, a leader and merely had a hand in turning the NBA into a global brand. Their ruthless pursuit of winning is similar. They both had to fit in with other Hall of Famers. There is no wrong answer. After that, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbarand Wilt Chamberlain follow in some order. I would put Wilt a tier below because he only had five seasons with the Lakers. Then it’s a Chamberlain-Shaquille O’Neal debate for the start of the second five.
Shaun Powell, NBA.com: Here’s the order: 1. Magic, 2. Kobe, 3. Kareem, 4. Jerry, 5. George Mikan. I give Kobe the edge on Kareem based on Laker longevity (Kareem started in Milwaukee) and Kobe owns more titles than West, although as players, they rate very close in my opinion. Nobody touches Magic. He’s Mr. Laker.
John Schuhmann, NBA.com: Second, behind Magic Johnson and ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and either Elgin Baylor or James Worthy. Longevity puts him ahead of Kareem and West, but I can’t put him ahead of Magic, who also played his entire career in L.A., had a much better winning percentage (.728 vs. .635), and was more of a galvanizing force, for both his teammates and the Lakers’ fanbase.
Sekou Smith, NBA.com: As great as Kobe has been over the course of his career, I’ve always been a believer that Magic Johnson is the all-time iconic Laker, over Kobe, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Shaq and any of their other Hall of Famers. Magic remains No. 1 on my list with Kareem a close second and Kobe third. Being in the top three with two of the greatest five players in NBA history speaks volumes about the legacy Kobe has built during his unbelievable 20-year run in purple and gold.
Ian Thomsen, NBA.com: Kobe and Magic Johnson are tied for first. They can’t be compared directly – head-to-head – because their eras were so different. Some will downgrade Kobe’s first three championships because he had Shaq, but can’t the same be said of Magic’s partnership with Kareem throughout the early 1980s? This is going to make more sense in a few years, when it will be easier to put Bryant’s career into perspective, but for now I don’t feel right choosing between him and Magic.
Lang Whitaker, NBA.com’s All Ball blog: Same as I had him last time — I think he’s the second-greatest Laker of all-time. But even if he won a title this season, I don’t know if he would leapfrog Magic Johnson, the greatest Laker in my estimation. (Then again, if Kobe could win a title with this Lakers team, he might be the greatest NBA player of all-time.)
