First of all, I want to say congratulations to Kobe Bryant for reaching such a historic milestone. This is an amazing achievement. Reaching this takes a lot of hard work in dedication. Kobe has left great memories and a very lasting impression upon us basketball fans during his illustrious 17-year career. However, something needs to be seriously addressed, and put into proper perspective. There are people out there in the media, and hardcore Kobe fans who will put their own twisted spin on this milestone. They will say that "Kobe is the fastest to reach 30,000 points" or "Kobe is outpacing MJ". Yes, they say some outrageous things. Here is the thing. He truly is the youngest in terms of age, but in terms of career, it has actually taken him longer. What makes things even more lopsided, is that he came straight out of high school. The others ahead of him (Kareem, Karl Malone, Jordan, Wilt), all came out of college after 3-4 years. Yet, they reached 30,000 career points in a shorter span of time in their careers than Kobe. Allow me to put things in perspective:
-Wilt Chamberlain (30,000 points- 941 games)
-Michael Jordan (30,000 points- 960 games)
-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30,000 points- 1,101 games)
-Karl Malone (30,000 points- 1,152 games)
-Kobe Bryant (30,000 points- 1,180 games)
As you can clearly see, Kobe has played many more games than those ahead of him to reach this point. However, he has made less shots to reach that total. Kobe has played 108 more games than Jordan, and 135 more games than Wilt, but he STILL trails them in career points. This all leads to one thing. Kobe Bryant is the greatest "VOLUME scorer" of all-time. This means, that out of the top 5 scoring leaders, Kobe has shot the lowest field goal percentage. He has NEVER had 1 season in his career shooting 50% from the field. This title of "volume scorer" can work both ways. Yes, he has compiled more points than others such as John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, etc, who have similar percentages. However, when comparing him to more prolific & accurate scorers such as Michael, Wilt, Kareem and Karl Malone, it is not exactly a badge of honor. Now, I am not taking anything away from him as an all-time great. (One of the top 15 of all-time) I am just simply giving more perspective. Unfortunately, that delusional network Disn-ESPN, and the Kobetards will reach to no end for any possible comparison to MJ. I have news for you out there: Kobe does not compare! I definitely have more respect for NBATV, for showing how many more games Kobe played to achieve this. The fact that it took the previous players less games to reach this many points, is very alarming! This goes to show how he has been much more inconsistent than his predecessors in the 30,000 point club. Another thing that I would like to point out is, the fact that Kobe only has 1 League MVP Award. The previous four players have won multiple MVP's!
Here are the accomplishments of each player, when they achieved 30,000 points:
-When Wilt Chamberlain scored 30,000 points, he won 4 MVP's, and 7 Scoring Titles.
-When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30,000 points, he won 6 MVP's, 2 Scoring Titles, and 1 Finals MVP. -When Michael Air Jordan scored 30,000 points, he won 5 MVP's, 10 Scoring Titles, and 6 Finals MVP's. -When Karl Malone scored 30,000 points, he won 2 MVP's. (K. Malone's Jazz ran into Jordan's Bulls twice in the Finals. If Jordan was not in that era, he would have had multiple scoring titles.)
Total points do not tell the entire story. Those ahead of him, clearly have a larger body of work, along with their points.
Here are the top 5 scorers, and their career field goal percentages:
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points, 56% FG shooting- 1,560 games)
2. Karl Malone (36,928 points, 51% FG shooting- 1,476 games)
3. Michael Jordan (32,292 points, 50% (51% as a Bull) FG shooting- 1,072 games)
4. Wilt Chamberlain (31,419 points, 54% FG shooting- 1,045 games)
5. Kobe Bryant (30,016 points, 45% FG shooting- 1,180 games)
This goes to further prove my point, of how Kobe Bryant has been less efficient, and a more inconsistent scorer than those above. Kareem and The Mailman have played slightly longer than Kobe, but shot higher percentages. He still has over 6,000 less points than both of them. By the time his career is over, Kobe will have the most missed shots in NBA history. Right now, he is on a rapid pace. Yes, he will eventually pass Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in career total points. However, that will only happen because of pure volume, with longevity at a less efficient and less accurate rate. There is no way that anyone can claim that Kobe is the greatest scorer of all-time, except when it pertains to inefficiency.
Kareem missed 9,755 shots to score 30,000 points
Karl Malone missed 9,996 shots to score 30,000 points
Wilt missed 10,965 shots to score 30,000 points
Jordan missed 11,140 shots to score 30,000 points
Kobe missed 12,599 shots to score 30,000 points
The difference in accuracy is larger than a country mile. Kobe is certainly the most accomplished player of this time, outside of Tim Duncan. Yet, when you look at the entire picture, you will see that Kobe has glaring blemishes compared to the cream of the crop. He is an all-time great, but not on the level of Legends & Icons such as Michael Jordan, Kareem, Wilt, Magic to name a few. Bottom line is, Kobe is an all-time great, but not the greatest of all-time in the most valuable achievements.
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