Who has had more elite seasons? (top 5)

[chazzy]

Duncan, James, McGrady, Kidd, and Nowitzki were better in 2007, along with 13 others.

I'd like to see the full list of 18 players better than 07 Kobe, holy shit

[ArbitraryWater]

top 3 is my elite definition

I think Kobe has been top 3 from 02 to 12
the first few years might be questionable due to going against Kg, Shaq, Duncan and Dirk.

Bron has been at least top 3 from 06

There is no damn way Kobe was top 3 from 02-05.... how the fcuk was Kobe better than Shaq/Garnett/Duncan in 2003? 2004 and 2005 he had DISASTER Seasons... Was he Top 7 in 2005? 2006 it begans.

[ArbitraryWater]

I'd like to see the full list of 18 players better than 07 Kobe, holy shit

Prob a closet kobe stan trying to put a bad name on bron fans.

[DMAVS41]

Kobe - 01 02 03 04 06 07 08 09 10 12 13

Lebron - 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

Pretty much this. Although I don't think Kobe was top 5 in 03. I'd take;

Duncan
Shaq
KG
T-Mac
Dirk
Kidd

Thought 03 Kobe is a bit over-rated...but certainly debatable.

04 is tough for me as well. I thought T-Mac was better than Kobe again, but it's so close it's hard to draw a line. I'd take Shaq/Duncan/KG as well...and then I know it sounds crazy, but I actually think Ben Wallace was a more valuable player in 04 than Kobe. So I wouldn't use the word "better", but I think I'd rather have Ben Wallace on my team than Kobe in 04.

2013 is interesting as well. Durant and Lebron were obviously better. I think Duncan was better as well. Would take Westbrook and Paul also, but it's debatable of course. Don't think Kobe did anything in 13 that really separated himself from Melo to be honest either.

So I agree for the most part with the list, but Kobe was not definitively in the top 5 in 03, 04, and 13 in my opinion.

[Pointguard]

Pretty much this. Although I don't think Kobe was top 5 in 03. I'd take;

Duncan
Shaq
KG
T-Mac
Dirk
Kidd

Thought 03 Kobe is a bit over-rated...but certainly debatable.

04 is tough for me as well. I thought T-Mac was better than Kobe again, but it's so close it's hard to draw a line. I'd take Shaq/Duncan/KG as well...and then I know it sounds crazy, but I actually think Ben Wallace was a more valuable player in 04 than Kobe. So I wouldn't use the word "better", but I think I'd rather have Ben Wallace on my team than Kobe in 04.

2013 is interesting as well. Durant and Lebron were obviously better. I think Duncan was better as well. Would take Westbrook and Paul also, but it's debatable of course. Don't think Kobe did anything in 13 that really separated himself from Melo to be honest either.

So I agree for the most part with the list, but Kobe was not definitively in the top 5 in 03, 04, and 13 in my opinion.

This is the way I see it.

Sometimes Elite is five and sometimes its three depending on if there is a gap after third player or not. In Kobe's early years there were a lot of "have to be five elite players." 2013 was a train wreck of a year for the Lakers so he wouldn't be elite that year. But I thought Kobe was elite in '02.

[Rubio2Gasol]

So Kobe wasn't top 3 in 01?

Kobe in 01 > Lebron any year.

[ArbitraryWater]

Pretty much this. Although I don't think Kobe was top 5 in 03. I'd take;

Duncan
Shaq
KG
T-Mac
Dirk
Kidd

Thought 03 Kobe is a bit over-rated...but certainly debatable.

04 is tough for me as well. I thought T-Mac was better than Kobe again, but it's so close it's hard to draw a line. I'd take Shaq/Duncan/KG as well...and then I know it sounds crazy, but I actually think Ben Wallace was a more valuable player in 04 than Kobe. So I wouldn't use the word "better", but I think I'd rather have Ben Wallace on my team than Kobe in 04.

2013 is interesting as well. Durant and Lebron were obviously better. I think Duncan was better as well. Would take Westbrook and Paul also, but it's debatable of course. Don't think Kobe did anything in 13 that really separated himself from Melo to be honest either.

So I agree for the most part with the list, but Kobe was not definitively in the top 5 in 03, 04, and 13 in my opinion.

2003 Kobe was better than 2002 Kobe but 2002 Kobe was Top 5 and 2003 Kobe wasn't... fact. 2003 simply had the emergence of TMac/Dirk/KG

[MMM]

There is no damn way Kobe was top 3 from 02-05.... how the fcuk was Kobe better than Shaq/Garnett/Duncan in 2003? 2004 and 2005 he had DISASTER Seasons... Was he Top 7 in 2005? 2006 it begans.

your probably right i did say it was questionable in those early seasons. Anyways lets remember that the elite talent in the mid 2000s was deeper than it is nowadays.

[ArbitraryWater]

your probably right i did say it was questionable in those early seasons. Anyways lets remember that the elite talent in the mid 2000s was deeper than it is nowadays.

Probably... although behind LeBron/Durant the others are being rated fine. No one is saying Paul/Melo/Howard are all time greats or some stuff like that..

[chazzy]

Pretty much this. Although I don't think Kobe was top 5 in 03. I'd take;

Duncan
Shaq
KG
T-Mac
Dirk
Kidd

Thought 03 Kobe is a bit over-rated...but certainly debatable.

I forgot how I ordered them, but I had Tmac Dirk and Kobe all next to each other with Kobe at #5. Kobe put up 30/7/6 and was still playing good defense while averaging 2 steals and a block. His efficiency dropped a bit in the playoffs, especially with his torn labrum, but he still put up 32/5/5

04 is tough for me as well. I thought T-Mac was better than Kobe again, but it's so close it's hard to draw a line. I'd take Shaq/Duncan/KG as well...and then I know it sounds crazy, but I actually think Ben Wallace was a more valuable player in 04 than Kobe. So I wouldn't use the word "better", but I think I'd rather have Ben Wallace on my team than Kobe in 04.

2013 is interesting as well. Durant and Lebron were obviously better. I think Duncan was better as well. Would take Westbrook and Paul also, but it's debatable of course. Don't think Kobe did anything in 13 that really separated himself from Melo to be honest either.

In 04, I had Kobe at #4 or #5 behind the players you mentioned, with Tmac being in the mix.. playing for the worst team in the league has to be factored in though. 04 was just a down year for individual years it seems.

'13 I had Kobe at #4 behind Lebron, KD, and CP3. I think either you're mixing up 2013 Westbrook with 2012 or that's revisionist, because I thought he was better the year before and don't recall him being in the mix as a top 5 player. Melo was very good and underrated on ISH. While he got really hot late, I thought Kobe had a better body of work and was a much better facilitator while being nearly as good of a scorer. Close though

[HOoopCityJones]

Just by the simple fact you guys can't even come to a consensus on if Kobe was Top 3 in his best years , shows the clear bias against him.

Kobe's been Top 3 in this league since 00'

[tmacattack33]

Kobe was whack in 2011 (2010-2011), and 2012. Not top 5.

Last year he miraculously looked great again (some say it was international medical procudure that he got) , before getting injured.

So please take 2011 and 2012 off.

[tmacattack33]

And oh yeah, Kobe was obviously not top 5 in 2004...the first year without Shaq.

[ArbitraryWater]

Just by the simple fact you guys can't even come to a consensus on if Kobe was Top 3 in his best years , shows the clear bias against him.

Kobe's been Top 3 in this league since 00'

Kobe was whack in 2011 (2010-2011), and 2012. Not top 5.

Last year he miraculously looked great again (some say it was international medical procudure that he got) , before getting injured.

So please take 2011 and 2012 off.

Hoooop city being a special kind of stupid again.

Kobe isnt close to being Top 3 in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Kobe - 01-13
Lebron - 05-14