The definitive ranking of the best players in the NBA today…
by Ryan Jones
So: Is he? Is Kobe Bryant, right now, the best basketball player alive?
Sure.
He is, without question, a very good basketball player. He is tall. He runs fast, and he
jumps high. He makes a lot of baskets, and he possesses a “high basketball IQ.” Among the rest of the basketball players playing basketball in the NBA today, his “skill set” is arguably unsurpassed. He does, in other words, most of the things involved in playing basketball better than do most other basketball players. No. 1 seems about right.
Who might be better? Probably no one. There are only a handful of basketball players in the “who’s the best basketball player” conversation, and arguably only one in legitimate contention, but the case for that basketball player has had numerous holes poked in it. A lot of those pokes have been valid. So, maybe consensus is easily reached: There is no basketball player who is clearly better at playing basketball than is Kobe Bryant.
Ergo, Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player.
And yet.
A rehashing of Kobe Bryant’s myriad and widely documented “issues” would be overkill here. It does seem worth mentioning, however, that Kobe Bryant was rarely the best basketball player on the court during the 2008 NBA Finals, and only very occasionally the best basketball player on his own team during the 2008 Summer Olympics. For someone “widely” considered to be the best basketball player on the planet, these are pretty strong indictments re: his best-basketball-player status.
But, again, when debating the topic of who the best basketball player is, there is no clear-cut “better” option. There is only preference.
As in, Which basketball player would you RATHER have to start a basketball-playing team?
Or, Which basketball player does the most to make their basketball-playing teammates better?
Or, Whose shoes are hotter?
Or, Who seems like less of a dick?
Fair questions all, but they boil down to opinion, not fact. Which is fine.
The world works this way.
So, one more time: Is Kobe Bryant the best basketball player in the NBA today?
Yes. If you think so.
Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
This story is filed under: Blogs, Farmer Jones's Roundball Almanac, NBA, SLAMonline Top 50










*awaits furious hate*
you got at least one ranking right
The days where Jason Williams were still with the Heat and they still have a winning record.
It’s usually nice to have a conversation with him. Now, it’s all hatred…
Yes, you’re never been “nice” but at least when Chukaz were still around you judge apple as an apple
For the last 2 years, it’s like you’re channeling your inner Ryan Jones. Even you made comments about D-Wade’s cheeks, as if he’s been sucking too much lemon. I’m just sayin’ here…
SLAM was a real disapointment through the list but to rank lebronha #2 and licking his nuts all over the article, than ranking kobe #1 and hating on him the whole way??!?!
why?!?!?
if you wanna do that, rank Kobe#2 … the list was crappy anyway. lebron deserves to be #1 somewhere, than, make it on this list.
.
wasn’t #1 in the finals. and how was your king in the east finals?!?!?!? A COMPLETE FAILURE!!
i wonder if Boston gave Kobe all that room to shoot…
wasn’t #1 in the olympic team, yeah, can be, but who won the only game that counted?????
that was a disgrace.
really. reading the #1 spot in the list just being questioned… hahahaha
what a bull$hit.
what a surprise.
do u get paid by SLAM or just wants to?
.
i’m out guys.
RYAN JONES, you took the word su(king to a whole new level, congratulations.
Ryan, i’ll expect my commission check in the mail this week.
or maybe he wanted Joe Johnson as #2 on this list.
Eboy, I gotcha back bro!
NOW PICK WHICH ONES ARE MORE IMPORTANT AND MAKE A DAMN ARTICLE!
jesus….
i can’t believe!
i’ve liked something Jukai wrote about kobe x lebron!!!!
Oh well, at least Iverson got his due. He was in the top ten, right?
we disagreed through the ENTIRE list and this is even expected cause each one of us takes some part of the game more important the another and we like a player more than another for some subjective reason, but there’s one thing we all agree… we all BUT “ball licker” TADOne…
THIS ARTICLE SUCKS BIG TIME! probably the worst ever!
so Ryan is really a genius… he showed we are different but we are all one in the end!
hauhahauhauhua
RYAN JONES gets paid to write something like this. USA is really a land of dreams!
hahahahaahah
no, the reason kobe’s better (in my opinion, for what it’s worth) is (a) he’s a better defender and (b) proven by his output in money time in the gold medal game. but then that’s just me.
Well god damn, I am an ESPN.com reader!
2. Pen!s graspers (he needs to be able to grab them after his hands were cut off)
3. Pen!s flavored mints (he needs the taste in his mouth 24/7)
4. ESPN.com
5. Ryan Jones
6. Hot Sauce (to put in his belly button to make him scream)
7. SLAMS top 50 list (for him to poop on!)
8. people to read his comments
9. The Humpty Dumpty dance
10. Fake Nikes
12. Fake Jukai’s
13. White Hot Eboy’s road kill dinner
14. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed
15. Cross dressing hot mofos (thats what he calls them)
16. Prostate cancer (so his pen!s can be active)
17. John McCain
18. Golden Coral
19. The white cream in twinkies
20. frog legs
To end it this way has been a waste. If this is what it means to be the best basketballer in the NBA (slams choice)- contempt and apathy, why would anyone want to be no 1. Kobe has had one of his most successful seasons EVER, and SLAM acts like it would be better if he had played that little bit worse moving him to 2. I hope LeBron enjoys being no 1 for the forseeable future and enjoys such apathy just as Kobe does
but what do i know amiright?
You know, I don’t get a kick of criticizing articles just because I can type whatever I want to (I see you, Maria/Nikos). HOWEVER, that article was terribly disappointing. SLAM bailed out on its own list. I’m actually surprised that Jones wrote this as I consider him to be quite ballsy. Don’t even get me started on the lack of content about why is Kob’ the best in the L…
Glad the list is over, this has not been fun at all.
Fannnnnnnnntastic.
Well, another good day of getting horse crap shoved in our mouths. I remember why I decided to stop on this list in the first place. I love SLAM, but this whole fiasco certainly lowered my opinion of it.
Great write up though. The whole pissing on everyone, loved it.
Lunch time. G’day folks.
guess what?
when its because of an opinion on a player, FINE. its too subjective and each one consider it different but today its cause its RIDICULOUS. Worst article ever and exacly on the #1. congratulations.
you’ve s(rewed more than i thought it could.