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NBA Analyst Reveals Why Kobe Bryant Isn't A Top Five All-Time Player

Shandel Richardson

June 12, 2002; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (left to right) Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal hold trophies after winning the championship in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
June 12, 2002; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (left to right) Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal hold trophies after winning the championship in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY via Ima

NBA great Kobe Bryant has all the credentials to deserve mention among the all-time greats.

But longtime league beat reporter Rob Parker feels Bryant doesn't deserve a spot in the Top Five. He says Bryant's chances were hurt by playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal when they won three straight titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Kobe's not in the Top Five either," Parker said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club Show. "You know why? But the only problem is, even on his team when he was Shaq, Shaq was the most dominant player in the league, not Kobe."

In Bryant's defense, he did win two championships without O'Neal. Parker downplayed this because the Lakers added Pau Gasol when they won titles in 2009 and 2010.

"He didn't win two immediately," Parker said. "He had to go get Pau Gasol. Remember when he was with Smush Parker? I don't think he was winning back then, was he?

For the record, Parker chose Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Bill Russell as his top five.

BIRD FALLS IN SCORING RANKINGS

Three NBA players fell on the all-time scoring list Saturday.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook passed Alex English for No. 22 on the all-time list. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard moved ahead of Boston Celtics great Larry Bird for No. 39. Also, Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George jumped Rick Barry for No. 75.



The record books for Bird have been rough the past few weeks. He was recently passed by Celtics center Al Horford on the franchise list for 3-pointers made. English and Barry were also two of the league's best scorers during their playing days.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com