Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA. Kobe entered the league in the 90s and helped bring the league out of the potentially damaging period of Michael Jordan leaving.
Bryant established himself as one of the all-time greats with the success he garnered during his 20-year career. Kobe was a champion, a phenomenal scorer, and one of the most fearless players to ever enter the league.
Bryant could dominate his opponents on any given occasion, and take them to their limits. One of the most iconic moments in the NBA is Kobe’s incredible 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
Many fans consider Kobe Bryant one of the greatest of all time and have him in their all-time starting 5s. Such was the greatness of Kobe. But who did Kobe have in his all-time starting 5? He answered this question in 2009.
In an interview from a decade ago, Kobe Bryant was asked about his all-time starting 5. Kobe Bryant mentioned that he had Magic Johnson at point guard, Michael Jordan at shooting guard, Larry Bird at small forward, Bill Russell at the power forward position, alongside Wilt Chamberlain at the center.
Kobe was conflicted about having Wilt in his team because he considers him at the same level as fellow Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But he probably chose to keep Wilt for his incredible numbers.
Bryant is far from the only NBA legend to share his all-time starting five. Several NBA players, past and present like Michael Jordan and Steph Curry have shared their all-time starting 5s in the past.
Kobe became the face of the league during the 2000s and was one of, if not the best player in the league during his stint. He won the NBA championship 5 times and won 2 Finals MVP during that time.
For Kobe, he became one of the standard-bearers of the NBA and joined some of the all-time greats from the past. Kobe was old-school in his approach and looked at the game the same way several killers in the past.
