5 NBA superstars that will never surpass Kobe Bryant all-time
5) Russell Westbrook
"Mr. Triple-Double," "Brodie," "Russ," whatever you want to call him is the great Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, like Bryant, has that same maniacal drive to annihilate anyone and anything in his path to win at all costs.
He's the only man aside from Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for a season and the only to do it four times in a season in NBA history. Westbrook is the most explosive point guard in NBA history with his strong, sturdy frame at the lead guard spot and unmatched explosion during his prime.
He's been an MVP (2017), a perennial All-Star and All-NBA selection, basically everything you could want individually as a player. Despite all Westbrook's historical achievements, he now enters year 17 with the Denver Nuggets on a veteran minimum deal, as there's still a glaring missing accomplishment on his resume: a championship.
Westbrook only made the NBA Finals once in his career in 2012 and that goes way back to his early days with the Thunder with two other all-time greats, Kevin Durant and James Harden, in what looked like a potential dynasty on the rise at the time.
Unfortunately, Sam Presti and the front office didn't want to pay for Harden that offseason and he left for the Houston Rockets. Durant and him would make the Conference Finals two more times (2014, 2016), but failed to capture that elusive title together as a dynamic duo.
Durant and Westbrook blew that 3-1 lead to Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors in 2016 in what could've been their best chance, as they would have gone up against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love that season.
Durant ultimately would leave the Thunder to join the team that beat him (the Warriors), leaving Westbrook as the lone ranger of the "Big 3" from that era. Westbrook has struggled to get out of the first round of the playoffs since Durant departed him in 2016.
Westbrook will be remembered as the most explosive point guard to play the game who fills the stat sheet. However, his lack of championship hardware and ability to turn into an elite defender throughout his career despite his freakish athletic ability is what holds him back from having a legacy like Bryant's.