Hoops Habit
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best shooting guards in team history

By Amaar Burton

HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 16: Kobe Bryant #8 and Eddie Jones #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk against the Dallas Mavericks during a preseason game on October 16, 1996 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 16: Kobe Bryant #8 and Eddie Jones #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk against the Dallas Mavericks during a preseason game on October 16, 1996 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) /

1. Kobe Bryant (1996-2016)

I began putting this list together weeks before Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

I was mostly done with it and — before the tragedy took place that also claimed the lives of Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven more people who were aboard the helicopter — had planned to publish it that last week of January.

Those plans were put on hold. It seemed wrong to post another “who’s better” piece featuring Kobe at a time when his life and legacy was being discussed on a level bigger than basketball.

There was also the potential perception of overrating or overreaching to praise Kobe immediately after his death. It’s been known to happen in sports, entertainment and politics; how fans and media tend to give a person’s work extra credit if they’ve passed away. Call it sympathy, call it a renewed appreciation, or call it well-intentioned kindness clouding one’s ability to be as objective as possible. But it’s real and it happens.

Even when I started writing this article, however, there was absolutely no doubt that Kobe would be No. 1 on this list by a wide margin.

To most NBA followers, there’s no doubt that Kobe is better than every shooting guard who has ever played the game, outside of Michael Jordan.

With the Lakers, Kobe won five championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, one league MVP and two league scoring titles. He was voted to 15 All-NBA teams, 18 All-Star teams, and 12 All-Defensive teams. He copped two Olympic gold medals and four NBA All-Star Game MVPs; that trophy has since been named after Kobe.

The list of unforgettable moments from Kobe’s time in purple and gold is long. It includes his 81-point single-game performance (second-highest total in NBA history), scoring 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 61 in Madison Square Garden, scoring 55 against Jordan’s Washington Wizards, the dunk on rookie Dwight Howard, the clutch free throws with a ruptured Achilles, and his 60-point career finale.

There’s really no serious debate about Kobe’s place among Lakers shooting guards. He is the greatest.

The more compelling debate is where Kobe ranks among Lakers in general. How he compares to Magic, Shaq, Kareem, West and the rest. Is Kobe the greatest overall player in franchise history?

Next. What to make of Giannis's comments about Los Angeles. dark

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