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

First of all, my apologies for missing my last round of debate. I was out in the bush with school all week and have not had Internet access, although my opponents forfeiture has evened things up a little. I will start by addressing the questions that were asked of me at the end of Pros last arguments: 1. I must admit I am not a Lakers fan and have not payed all that much attention to comparing their players over the years, however I would have to go with Magic because of a) The way he could fill practically any role in the team and b) his ability to bring his team mates into the game with his passing, something that makes his contribution and value to the team and franchise as whole greater than Kobe's' 2. I believe Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain are better than Kobe. I also feel a strong case could be made for Shaquille O'neal. I also think Lebron and KD will surpass him eventually. 3. The Boston Celtics, just ahead of the Lakers and Bulls. 4. I do not feel the need to make a case for Bill Russell. In his previous arguments Pro argued that since Kobe Bryant is the closest basketball to Michael Jordan in the way in which they played the game. And since Kobe is the closest thing to Michael and Michael is the greatest ever basketballer than Kobe must be the second greatest player of all time.However this argument fails to account for two things: first of all, differences in positions and overall types of players must be considered when comparing players, you need to include the tall men along with the point guards, like natural variation or diversity. Secondly, no matter now much lakers fans may not like to admit it, there is a definite gap in class and skill between Kobe and MJ, a gap that is filled by others who may not be like Michael in the way that they play, but are still greats in their own rights. I would also like to once again touch on my opponents claims that Kobe is better than Wilt because of the times in which they played. While his reference to the '3 in the key' rule not being around when Wilt played makes sense I would like to again point out that Wilt was not able to choose when he played, or the players that played around him. Sure he may have been ahead of his time when you look at the talent of the players around him but aren't all great players ahead of their times? Isn't one of the things that sets them apart to ability to do things like no one else has ever done them before? Wilt certainly did this, and no one can argue that he did not have a huge impact on the game of basketball and will go down as one of the greatest players of all time. A similar line of reasoning can be applied to Kareem. His sky hook was something new and extraordinary, something that sets him apart from the rest. This alone does not make Kareem great though, he was a player that could change a game himself and was an essential part in championships at both the Bucks and the Lakers. Magic Johnson was also a player like no other, capable of playing any position on the court, holding the team together when someone went down with injuries or there was a weakness in the team. Ranking third for all time assists he was also able to bring his team mates into the game, something Kobe has been criticised for not being able to do.