Kobe Bryant Is The 11th Best Player Of All Time

Kobe Bryant is an all time great player ranking 11th on our list of top NBA players. We base our ratings on a combination of:

• League MVPs which has been given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Until the 1979–80 season, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Each member of the voting panel casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth five, fourth-place is worth three and fifth-place is worth one. Starting from 2010, one ballot was cast by fans through online voting.
• All NBA Teams which are bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, and since 1988 it is typically composed of three five-man lineups—a first, second, and third team. Players receive five points for a first team vote, three points for a second team vote, and one point for a third team vote. The players with the highest point totals at their respective positions make the first team, with the next highest making the second team and so forth.
• NBA Championships for while individual sport athletes win and lose on their own, in team sports winning games and winning the ultimate prize of a championship is a team accomplishment.
• Finals MVPS are decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award
• Traditional statistics (field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks)
• Advanced statistics (PER, VORP, Plus/Minus, Win Shares (including offensive and defensive), Usage, True Shooting, Effective Fgs, Offensive Rating, and Defensive Rating)

Advanced Statistics

Advanced Stats are a way to study basketball through objective analysis. It is a more in-depth way to look at a simple box score, and more accurately evaluates the skill and production of a player or team. There are many to choose from, but we limit them to these five.

There’s no such thing as a perfect statistic, but there is such a thing as the perfect application of a statistic. While some people believe too fully that there is nothing more to basketball than the “human aspect,” others realize that numbers can explain a whole lot about the action on the court. Those that embrace the numbers generally tend to see their knowledge of the game increase, but only if they know how to use the stats.

Some of the advanced stats and metrics can be a bit intimidating because they’re unfamiliar and, in some cases, complicated. It doesn’t help that we’re force-fed traditional, sometimes useless stats by the media; however, immediately dismissing an advanced statistic because it’s “useless,” is regressive for no stat is worthless if you know how to use it.

Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

The player efficiency rating (PER) is a rating of a player’s per-minute productivity. To generate PER, former Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies and current Senior NBA columnist at The Athletic, John Hollinger, created formulas — outlined in his book “Pro Basketball Forecast” — that return a value for each of a player’s accomplishments. That includes positive accomplishments such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative ones such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls.

Two important things to remember about PER are that it’s per-minute and is pace-adjusted. Because it’s a per-minute measure, it allows a comparison between startes and reserves even though there is a disparity in their minutes played. Player ratings are adjusted for their team’s pace, so that players on a slow-paced team aren’t penalized just because their team has fewer possessions than a fast-paced team.

Limitations

PER is not the final, once-and-for-all evaluation of a player’s accomplishments during the season. This is especially true for defensive specialists who don’t get many blocks or steals.

What PER can do, however, is summarize a player’s statistical accomplishments in a single number. That allows unification of disparate data on each player tracked so that we can move on to evaluating what might be missing from the stats. The league average in PER to 15.00 every season.

Win Shares

Win Shares is a player statistic which attempts to divvy up credit for team success to the individuals on the team. It’s calculated using player, team and league-wide statistics and the sum of player win shares on a given team will be roughly equal to that team’s win total for the season. A player can have negative Win Shares meaning they were so poor that they essentially took away wins that his teammates had generated.

Offensive Win Shares

Offensive Win Shares are credited to players based on Dean Oliver’s points produced and offensive possessions. The NBA did not track player turnovers until the 1977-78 season, and player turnovers are needed to calculate player possessions; however, the NBA did track turnovers at the team level from 1973-74 to 1976-77. Since player turnovers are the only thing preventing the use of that method, estimated player turnovers can be used for this time period. Because so many statistics are missing prior to the 1973-74 season (offensive rebounds, turnovers, etc.), Oliver’s points produced and offensive possessions will not be used for this time period, although the basic framework will remain the same.

Defensive Win Shares

Crediting Defensive Win Shares to players is based on Dean Oliver’s Defensive Rating. Defensive Rating is an estimate of the player’s points allowed per 100 defensive possessions. Prior to the 1973-74 season, the NBA did not track defensive rebounds, steals, or blocks, so allocating defensive credit is a difficult task. Prior to the 1951-52 season, the NBA did not track minutes played, so allocating defensive credit is an even more difficult task. Prior to the 1950-51 season, the NBA did not track total rebounds, so allocating defensive credit is an almost impossible task.

The final step of the process is to add Offensive Win Shares to Defensive Win Shares. Because this metric is designed to estimate a player’s contribution in terms of wins, it makes sense to see if the sum of player Win Shares for a particular team closely matches the team win total. Errors are actually close to the “typical” error; looking at all NBA teams since the 1962-63 season (the last season we have complete player splits), the average absolute error is 2.74 wins and the root mean squared error (frequently used measure of the differences between values (sample or population values) predicted by a model or an estimator and the values observed) is 3.41 wins.

VORP

Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is defined by Basketball Reference as a measure to estimate each player’s overall contribution to the team, measured vs. what a theoretical “replacement player” would provide, where the “replacement player” is defined as a player on minimum salary or not a normal member of a team’s rotation. VORP is simply how much better a player is than the kind of player that could be signed as a free agent from the G League.

Limitations

The biggest problem with VORP, like any other NBA statistical rating system, is that it generally ignores the quality of a player’s man defense. Until the NBA adapts more defensive statistics to give a broader picture of defense, all we have to rate players with are blocks and steals, which are clearly inadequate. Defensive specialists who do not generate many blocks and steals are always going to be dramatically underrated by the system, and this is simply something that has to be mentally adjusted for.

BPM

Box Plus/Minus, Version 2.0 (BPM) is a basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player’s contribution to the team when that player is on the court. It is based only on the information in the traditional basketball box score–no play-by-play data or non-traditional box score data (like dunks or deflections) are included.

BPM uses a player’s box score information, position, and the team’s overall performance to estimate the player’s contribution in points above league average per 100 possessions played. BPM does not take into account playing time — it is purely a rate stat! Playing time is included in Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) which is discussed below.

League average is defined as 0.0, meaning 0 points above average or below average. Because above-average players play more minutes, there are far more below-average players than above-average players in the league at any time. A value of +5.0 means the team is 5 points per 100 possessions better with the player on the floor than with average production from another player. (In the 2018-19 season, teams averaged around 100 possessions per 48 minute game.)

How does Box Plus/Minus evaluate players?

The basic concept is simple. BPM starts by assuming that every player on the team has contributed equally. If the team is good, all of the players are assumed to be equally good.

Next, the box score information is added to revise the evaluation. All of the box score data is measured relative to the other players on the team. Does this player get more or fewer steals than the other players on the team? If more, this player is likely better on defense than they are. Do they score more or less efficiently? Do they have more or fewer assists?

This box score information is also weighted according to what position or role the player has on the team. For instance, a block by a center is good, but a block by a guard is great. Similarly, scoring by a low usage player has to be very efficient to mean much to the team, since they aren’t putting pressure on the defense.

Now, some of the box score data does not help measure a player’s impact on the team, even though the stat may be obviously valuable to the team. Defensive rebounds fall into that category. They matter to the team, but it really doesn’t matter who on the team gets them. The credit for getting that rebound mostly gets split among the team, rather than all being credited to the player who actually pulled the rebound down.

BPM was created to intentionally only use statistics that are widely available and are available historically. Recently in the NBA far more statistics have been gathered, either from play-by-play or hand tracking, which allow more detailed metrics. BPM does not include that data and should not be as accurate as stats that do include the additional information (assuming they are implemented rigorously!) like Player Impact Plus/Minus and Real Plus/Minus.

Limitations

There are limitations on all box score stats – if the box score doesn’t measure a particular contribution, a box-score-based metric can only approximate that contribution. This is not a great hindrance on the offensive side, as nearly everything of importance on offense is captured by the box score (only missing things like screen-setting), but on defense the box score is quite limited. Blocks, steals, and rebounds, along with what little information offensive numbers yield about defensive performance are all that is available. Such critical components of defense as positioning, communication, and the other factors that make Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan elite on defense can’t be captured, unfortunately.

What does this mean? Box Plus/Minus is good at measuring offense and solid overall, but the defensive numbers in particular should not be considered definitive. Look at the defensive values as a guide, but don’t hesitate to discount them when a player is well known as a good or bad defender.

Usage Rate

Usage rate calculates what percentage of team plays a player was involved in while he was on the floor, provided that the play ends in one of the three true results: field-goal attempt, free-throw attempt or turnover. On average, a player will have a usage rate of 20 percent. Usage is the main indicator of ball dominance.

Limitations

Only true outcomes are measured here, so there is quite a bit left out. For example, a player who prefers to pass more than shoot will have a much lower USG% than a player who prefers to shoot.

True Shooting

True Shooting measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the ball. It is intended to more accurately calculate a player’s shooting than field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point field goal percentage taken individually with two point fgs, three point fgs, and free throws all considered in its calculation. A . 500 TS% is about average, . 550 is very good, and anything over . 600 is exceptional.

Effective Field Goal Percentage

Effective Field Goal Percentage is a measurement of how successful your team is from the field. This metric provides a more complete picture of the game situation than standard field goal percentages because three point shots are given extra weight.

With effective field goal percentage, a made three-pointer is worth one and a half times as much as a made two-pointer. A player who shoots 4 for 10 on all two-point baskets has a standard FG% of 40% and an eFG% of 40%. But, if all those makes were three-pointers, that player’s eFG% is 60%, reflecting the extra value of a made three.

In basketball, what matters is points scored per possession. A player whose eFG% is 60% is scoring at a rate equal to shooting 60% on two-point field goal attempts.

Offensive Rating

Offensive proficiency rating or offensive productive efficiency is a statistic used in basketball to measure either a team’s offensive performance or an individual player’s efficiency at producing points for the offense. It was created by author and statistician Dean Oliver. Points can be produced through field goals, free throws, assists, and offensive rebounds. Individual possessions are the sum of a player’s scoring possessions (field goals, free throws, plus partial credit for assists), missed field goals and free throws that the defense rebounds, and turnovers.

Limitations

Because of the estimations made in both Points Produced and the formula for possessions, this is once more just a baseline and not an exact number. This stat also rewards players who shoot a high percentage more than anything else, which is why you’ll generally see low-usage big men high up on the leaderboards.

Defensive Rating

Defensive rating shows how many points a player allows per 100 possessions. This statistic works differently than a simple plus/minus system, where all points scored while a player is on the court count against him. Only the buckets that are scored as a result of his defensive lapses are counted against him.

Defensive rating also eliminates factors like pace of play and minutes played per game. It is also important to note that as opposed to most other basketball stats, lower numbers are better when it comes to defensive rating.

Limitations

The limitation of defensive rating is dependency on sites like Basketball-Reference.com. Because of the estimations made in Oliver’s formula, this is once more just a baseline and not an exact number.

Now that you have a more thorough understanding of advanced statistics and analytics, here are the 12 players we have ranked ahead of him in order:

Michael Jordan

• 5 league mvps (tied for 2nd all time)
• 11 times all NBA (tied for 12th all time)
• 6 championships (tied for 10th all time)
• 6 finals mvps (1st all time)
• Ranks 5th all time in field goals made and attempted
• Ranks 6th all time in free throws made and 12th in attempts
• Ranks 5th all time in points and 1st per game
• Ranks 142nd all time in total rebounds and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 47th all time in assists and 103rd per game
• Ranks 3rd all time in steals and 4th per game
• Ranks 123rd all time in blocks and 219th per game

Michael Jordan’s Analytics

• Ranks 1st all time in PER
• Ranks 5th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 5th all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 23rd all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 1st all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 2nd all time in VORP
• Ranks 1st all time in Usage
• Ranks 104th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 221st all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 24th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 138th all time in Defensive Rating

Michael Jordan Summary

The traditional stats speak for themselves though he is lacking in rebounding and blocks which is to be expected for a guard. Analytically, is where he cements himself (top 5 in all 4 major productive analytics including 1 in per and bpm) as the best though we see his true and effective field goal percentage is lacking due to not being a great three point shooter. Ultimately, the argument for Jordan being number 1 is being the best when it counted the most.

LeBron James

• 4 league mvps (tied for 4th all time)
• 17 All NBA teams (1st all time)
• 4 championships (tied for 27th all time)
• 4 finals mvps (2nd all time)
• Ranks 3rd all time in field goals made and 4th in attempts
• Ranks 5th all time in free throws made and attempts
• Ranks 3rd all time in points and 6th per game
• Ranks 46th all time in total rebounds and 206th per game
• Ranks 8th all time in assists and 23rd per game
• Ranks 13th all time in steals and 70th per game
• Ranks 107th all time in blocks and 245th per game

LeBron James Analytics

• Ranks 2nd all time in PER
• Ranks 3rd all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 2nd all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 16th all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 2nd all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 1st all time in VORP
• Ranks 5th all time in Usage
• Ranks 46th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 57th all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 42nd all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 177th all time in Defensive Rating

LeBron James Summary

LeBron James is the best all around player of all time as evidenced by his presence in the top 250 of every single metric we use to measure though he is lacking in blocks and rebounds. In fact, the statistics probably favor LeBron over Jordan. The championship success is the separator between the two as LeBron has had more of an impact on winning and is the most above replacement level player of all time.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 6 league mvps (1st all time)
• 15 All NBA teams (tied for 2nd all time)
• 6 championships (tied for 10th all time)
• 2 finals mvps (tied for 13th all time)
• Ranks 1st all time in field goals made and attempts
• Ranks 12th all time in free throws made and 8th in attempts
• Ranks 1st all time in points and 17th per game
• Ranks 4th all time in total rebounds and 31st per game
• Ranks 45th all time in assists and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 111th all time in steals and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 3rd all time in blocks and 8th per game

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Analytics

• Ranks 13th all time in PER
• Ranks 1st all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 1st all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 3rd all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 15th all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 8th all time in VORP
• Ranks 122nd all time in Usage
• Ranks 36th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 27th all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 49th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 28th all time in Defensive Rating

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Summary

Kareem has the most league mvps, fgs, fga, total win shares, and offensive win shares. He’s also top 10 in total blocks and blocks per games. He played 20 years which hurt a lot of his averages as his effectiveness declined, and as a big man, could not make the impact in steals and assists as LeBron has.

Wilt Chamberlain

• 4 league mvps (4th all time)
• 10 all NBA teams (tied for 19th all time)
• 2 championships (tied for 105th all time)
• 1 finals mvps (tied for 21st all time)
• Ranks 4th all time in field goals made and 9th in attempts
• Ranks 22nd all time in free throws made and 3rd in attempts
• Ranks 7th all time in points and 2nd per game
• Ranks 1st all time in total rebounds and per game
• Ranks 83rd all time in assists and 170th per game

Wilt Chamberlain Analytics

• Ranks 6th all time in PER
• Ranks 2nd all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 3rd all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 5th all time in defensive Win Shares
• Outside top 250 all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 63rd all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Outside top 250 all time in Offensive Rating
• Outside top 250 all time in Defensive Rating

Wilt Chamberlain Summary

100 points in a game? A 53 pt, 32 reb, 14 ast, 24 blks, 11 stl quintuple double? This was Wilt. He’s only hurt by the nonexistence of threes, blocks, and steals which kill him analytically, and a relative lack of playoff success due to the Celtic dynasty. He’s undoubtedly the most dominant player in NBA history.

Magic Johnson

• 3 league mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• 10 All NBA teams (tied for 18th all time)
• 5 championships (tied for 14th all time)
• 3 finals mvps (tied for 3rd all time)
• Ranks 112th all time field goals made and tied for 157th in attempts
• Ranks 43rd all time in free throws made and 52nd in attempts
• Ranks 85th all time in points and 79th per game
• Ranks 152nd all time in total rebounds and 227th per game
• Ranks 6th all time in assists and 1st per game
• Ranks 24th all time in steals and 23rd per game
• Outside top 250 all time in blocks and per game

Magic Johnson Analytics

• Ranks 15th all time in PER
• Ranks 24th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 21st all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 69th all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 3rd all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 14th all time in VORP
• Ranks 221st all time in Usage
• Ranks 16th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 83rd all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 6th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 234th all time in Defensive Rating

Magic Johnson Summary

Magic Johnson is the greates orchestrator of offense in NBA history. He is 6th all time in offensive rating, 1st in assists per game and 3rd all time in box plus minus (behind Jordan and LeBron) while being 221st in usage which means highly efficient offense without ball dominance which is counterintuitve to what we think as the orchestrator of the Lakers “Showtime” offense of the 1980s. He, Russell, and Duncan (the latter being the two greatest defensive players of all time an area where Magic was lacking) are the only people on the list to average less than 20 ppg.

Tim Duncan

• 3 league mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• 15 All NBA teams (tied for 2nd all time)
• 5 championships (tied for 14th all time)
• 3 finals mvps (tied for 3rd all time)
• Ranks 17th all time in field goals made and 21st in attempts
• Ranks 27th all time in free throws made and 15th in attempts
• Ranks 18th all time in points and 96th per game
• Ranks 7th all time in total rebounds and 41st per game
• Ranks 106th all time in assists and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 166th all time in steals and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 6th all time in blocks and 22nd per game

Tim Duncan Analytics

• Ranks 14th all time in PER
• Ranks 7th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 26th all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 2nd all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 16th all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 6th all time in VORP
• Ranks 44th all time in Usage
• Ranks 229th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 241st all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 218th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 3rd all time in Defensive Rating

Tim Duncan Summary

Tim Duncan had tremendous success as the centerpiece of a dynasty in San Antonio, but David Robinson was a more effective offensive player. Duncan’s impact was defensive as he rates 2nd in winshares and 3rd in defensive rating. In fact, given his very good but not great offensive numbers, being in my opinion the 2nd greatest defensive player of all time is what gives him his elite vorp where he is surrounded by offensive dynamos.

Bill Russell

• 5 league mvps (tied for 2nd all time)
• 11 all NBA teams (tied for 12th all time)
• 11 championships (1st all time)
• Ranks 155th all time in field goals made and 126th in attempts
• Ranks 159th all time in free throws made and 63rd in attempts
• Ranks 162nd all time in points and outside of top 250 per game
• Ranks 2nd all time in total rebounds and per game
• Ranks 118th all time in assists and 186th per game

Bill Russell Analytics

• Ranks 120th all time in PER
• Ranks 20th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks outside of top 250 all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 1st all time in defensive Win Shares
• Outside top 250 all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Outside top 250 all time in Offensive Rating
• Outside top 250 all time in Defensive Rating

Bill Russell Summary

When it comes to Bill Russell, it’s not about what the numbers revel he didn’t do or what they didn’t cover, it’s about what they do reveal and cover. The old adage that championships are won by defense and rebounding are what he embodies. He’s the second greatest rebounder of all time behind Chamberlain and the greatest defensive player of all time. As a result, he has the most championships of all time and 2nd most league mvps.

Larry Bird

• 3 league mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• 10 All NBA teams (tied for 18th all time)
• 3 championships (tied for 41st all time)
• 2 finals mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• Ranks 31st all time in field goals made and 38th in attempts
• Ranks 85th all time in free throws made and tied for 114th in attempts
• Ranks 41st all time in points and 18th per game
• Ranks 61st all time in total rebounds and 60th per game
• Ranks 44th all time in assists and 47th per game
• Ranks 40th all time in steals and 41st per game
• Ranks 163rd all time in blocks and 213th per game

Larry Bird Analytics

• Ranks 21st all time in PER
• Ranks 28th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 36th all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 33rd all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 7th all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 15th all time in VORP
• Ranks 55th all time in Usage
• Ranks tied for 129th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 175th all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 70th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 77th all time in Defensive Rating

Larry Bird Summary

Larry Bird and his Celtics were a foil to Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 80s. He is still the only player in league history to win three straight MVPs. He was the focal point of his team’s success with a top 10 box plus minus of all time, and there was really nothing on the floor he did not affect outside of rim protection.

Shaquille O’Neal

• 1 league mvps (tied for 15 all time)
• 14 All NBA teams (tied for 5th all time)
• 4 championships (tied for 27th all time)
• 3 finals mvps (tied for 3rd all time)
• Ranks 8h all time in field goals made and 26th in attempts
• Ranks 26th all time in free throws made and 4th in attempts
• Ranks 10th all time in points and 24th per game
• Ranks 16th all time in total rebounds and 40th per game
• Ranks 225th all time in assists and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks outside of the top 250 all time in total steals and per game
• Ranks 9th all time in blocks and 17th per game

Shaquille O’Neal Analytics

• Ranks 4th all time in PER
• Ranks 13th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 15th all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 21st all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 21st all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 16th all time in VORP
• Ranks 13th all time in Usage
• Ranks tied for 49th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 9th all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 110th all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 69th all time in Defensive Rating

Shaquille O’Neal Summary

There’s an argument to be made that Shaq should be higher on the list given his per, effective fg%, scoring prowess, and rim protection, but the top 8 all have multiple mvps and multiple championships, something Shaq does not have. However, quite simply, he’s the most dominant player in history this side of Wilt Chamberlain.

Hakeem Olajuwon

• 1 league mvps (tied for 15 all time)
• 12 All NBA teams (tied for 7th all time)
• 2 championships (tied for 105th all time)
• 2 finals mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• Ranks 11th all time in field goals made and 17th in attempts
• Ranks 32nd all time in free throws made and 27th in attempts
• Ranks 14th all time in points and 40th per game
• Ranks 15th all time in total rebounds and 33rd per game
• Ranks 222nd all time in assists and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 10th all time in steals and 38th per game
• Ranks 1st all time in blocks and 3rd per game

Hakeem Olajuwon Analytics

• Ranks 19th all time in PER
• Ranks 21st all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 67h all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 4th all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 28th all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 17th all time in VORP
• Ranks 42nd all time in Usage
• Ranks 204th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks 194th all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks outside of the top 250 all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks 15th all time in Defensive Rating

Hakeem Olajuwon Summary

While Olajuwon is in the mold of defensive big man similar to Tim Duncan and Bill Russell, there is an argument that his peak is better than both offensively and defensively. Unfortunately, he did not have the individual nor team success as his career overlapped with Jordan’s Bulls, Kareem and Magic’s Lakers, Bird’s Celtics, and the Bad Boys. Still, Hakeem is the greatest rim protector in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant

• 1 league mvps (tied for 15 all time)
• 15 All NBA teams (tied for 2nd all time)
• 5 championships (tied for 14th all time)
• 2 finals mvps (tied for 6th all time)
• Ranks 7th all time in field goals made and 3rd in attempts
• Ranks 3rd all time in free throws made and 6th in attempts
• Ranks 4th all time in points and 13th per game
• Ranks 118th all time in total rebounds and outside of the top 250 per game
• Ranks 31st all time in assists and 151st per game
• Ranks 17th all time in steals and 99th per game
• Ranks 200th all time in blocks and outside of the top 250 per game

Kobe Bryant Analytics

• Ranks 27th all time in PER
• Ranks 19th all time in Win Shares
  • Ranks 13th all time in offensive Win Shares
  • Ranks 46th all time in defensive Win Shares
• Ranks 16th all time in Box Plus Minus
• Ranks 12th all time in VORP
• Ranks 3rd all time in Usage
• Ranks tied for 238th all time in True Shooting Percentage
• Ranks outside top 250 all time in Effective Field Goal Percentage
• Ranks 183rd all time in Offensive Rating
• Ranks outside top 250 all time in Defensive Rating

Kobe Bryant Summary

Kobe Bryant is certainly a top 5 all time player when it comes to scoring the basketball. He was able to sustain that excellence for over 20 years. The reason he is not a top 10 player overall is due to the fact that he is the only modern player in consideration that’s outside of the top 250 in 4 traditional and analytical categories. In fact, he is actually at or outside of the top 200 in six categories. Given his usage rate that is 3rd all time, his production outside of scoring should be greater.

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