The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

9) Kobe Bryant

After initially being drafted in the mid-1990s, Kobe Bryant had the distinction of being one of the best players in three different decades. The final decade came in the 2010s, where he played a total of seven sevens and made seven all-star appearances and four all-NBA First Teams. 

He started off the decade strong, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their second straight championship, with Kobe winning Finals MVP. However, their quest for a third straight championship ended prematurely. The Lakers would later reload by acquiring Hall of Famer Steve Nash and future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard in the hopes of winning another chip. 

Despite having Kobe, Pau Gasol, Howard, and Nash, the Lakers struggled all year, though Kobe had a stellar season, averaging nearly 28 points per game. Unfortunately, for Kobe and the Lakers, they barely made the playoffs, but he got injured, causing him to miss the postseason and most of the following season. Kobe returned and spent three more seasons with the Lakers before retiring in 2016 but not before dropping 60 points in his final game. That capped a strong decade in which he posted averages of 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 398 games.