Was Kobe Bryant ever the best player in the league?

[Lightning25]

Btw, we are talking "best player" not "best numbers"...Kobe was clearly the best player for many years

Exactly, being the most productive and putting up the best numbers does not mean you are automatically the best player. The game goes beyond that then again everyone in RealGM believes that Kobe has always been a defensive liability so people act as if Kobe was like Nick Young on steroids or something.

[kwsqd]

Btw, we are talking "best player" not "best numbers"...Kobe was clearly the best player for many years

No he wasn't.

He has never been the best player.

Duncan, Shaq, Nash, CP3 in 08, Garnett, LeBron, Dwight, were all guys better than Kobe in years people are calling him the best. He was probably top 5 in a few, but definitely ne3ver clearly #1.

Lol Nash has never been better than Kobe and most of the guys on your list are laughable. Really Duncan in 07? Shaq? Plz

Holy lol. That was laughable.

[SaveOurBullets]

No argument for any year prior to 2006 (don't say 2003...that was Duncan's year and no one else's)

2006...definitely. Arguments for any other player are aided greatly by their situations, which I don't think is entirely fair. While Kobe isn't on Jordan's level, it's like Jordan in the late '80s. People didn't want to acknowledge him as the best even though he probably was as early as 1987. But when you average that many points, it's just mind boggling.

2007 and 2008 have a lot of players in the mix, with Kobe being one of those players in both years.

2009 was LeBron.

2010, I think he deserves more attention than he's been getting. if LeBron's collapse is enough to disqualify him then Kobe has a serious case, but I wouldn't go quite that far.

So for me, just 2006. But he has a case for a good 2-3 years afterwards.

[arifgokcen]

For me 2006-2008.Last year is a bit questionable.However three years reign as best player is great accomplishment in itself.

[nesta]

Kobe was definitely the best in '06. Any remember 81 points and 62 in three quarters?

[Ayt]

Kobe was definitely the best in '06. Any remember 81 points and 62 in three quarters?

I remember him giving up in the 1st round of the playoffs.