Kobe Bryant is the second best basketball player of all time.

Kobe Bryant. While he may be past his prime he has long been thought of as one of the elite players in the NBA. There is no doubt he is a fantastic player but is he really just one spot behind the great Michael Jordon as pro claims? I think not. First of all I would like to point out a contradiction in my opponents arguments. When comparing Kobe to Larry Bird he states: "even though stats are really important, in the end, the awards are what get you over" However, when comparing Kobe Bryant to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar he states that, "With the accolades and the stats, Kareem looks great on paper against Kobe. However, the reason why he is under Kobe is the fact that in order to gain six championship rings, he left his team." Furthermore when comparing Kobe to the great Magic Johnson he argues that, "Magic, however, is a 3x MVP, 3x Finals MVP, and was an overall "more likable" guy. However the big difference between two of the greatest Lakers of all time (other than Magic went to college) is that Kobe is the better all around player." My opponent has already contradicted himself. You can not simply change the reason why one player is considered better than another when it suits your cause. Pro has said that the reason why Kobe is a better player than Bird is because of the awards he has received, however when he compares Kobe to Magic these awards are irrelevant because Kobe is apparently, "the better all around player." If we accept Pros assumption that Magic Johnsons' awards are not what makes him a better player than Kobe, then, by the same token, we can not accept Pros claim that Kobe Bryant is a better player than Larry Bird because of his awards. If pro wishes to stand by this claim that accolades do not matter then he has not proven that Kobe is a better basketballer than Bird and Kobe is, at the most, the third best basketballer of all time and the debate must go to me. If, on the other hand, pro chooses to stand by his claim that accolades are what makes one player better than another, then Kobe Bryant looses out to both Magic Johnson, pro himself stated that his awards were better than Kobe's, and also Kareem because not matter how he won them, he still has 6 rings plus 6 NBA MVP's. So this line of thinking leaves Kobe with a highest possible finish of 4th place, not the stated second. Either way, whichever line of thinking you take, Kobe Bryant is not the second best basketballer of all time. Enough of that. I would now like to further prove that, the above argument non-withstanding, Kobe is still not the second best basketballer and while we are talking about Kareem, lets continue along that path. Kobe vs Kareem At one point, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA record for both shots blocked and points, showing he could play both defensively and offensively. He held the league record for most MVP's (6) and also won 6 championship rings across careers with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now Pro states that the only reason that Kareem is not a better player than Kobe is that he left his team. This is a debate about the talents of basketball players, not their loyalty to teams. Also, I feel that this point helps to emphasise the talents of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was such a gifted player that the Lakers identified his as someone that they needed in order to win a ring, so they went out and convinced him to join up.    Kobe vs Wilt I would like to thanks my opponent for pointing out the illustrate stats that are accredited to the late, great, Wilt Chamberlain. Pros main argument for Kobe's superiority over Wilt is that: "when did he play? Yes, the 60s. Not taking anything away from the late, great, Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain, but it was just a different games back then." Wilt Chamberlain did not have any control over when he played basketball, all he counld do was adapt his game to best suit the playing conditions of the day, and he did this perfectly. He was able to dominate the game that he played in. Also, Kobe's stats are boosted by the introduction of the 3 point line in for the 1980-81 season, an aspect of the game that Wilt was not able to exploit.   In conclusion, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are far superior players to Kobe Bryant. Pro must also clarify if be believes accolades are what determine whether one player is better than another and change his arguments regarding Magic, Bird and Jabbar accordingly.