Ranker Spotlight: Kobe Bryant
August 24 of this year will mark the second official “Kobe Bryant Day” in Los Angeles and Orange County, commemorating the life of the iconic NBA player. The date references the two numbers Bryant wore during his career, 8 and 24, though it also happens to fall the day after his birthday. Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter accident in January 2020 shocked and saddened the nation — the first Lakers game after his death, which featured a live tribute from Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, was the second-most viewed NBA game in ESPN history.
Though Bryant is especially beloved in Los Angeles, where the star player spent the entirety of his 20 years in the league, he’s widely regarded by analysts and commentators as one of the greatest to ever play the sport. We’re taking a look at Bryant’s position on some of our most popular NBA lists to see where sports fans across the nation rank “the Black Mamba” as a basketball player, a shooting guard, a Laker, and more.
How Kobe Ranks on Ranker
Photo: Eric Garcetti/Flickr
Bryant is inarguably one of the best players of his time. He’s a two-time NBA scoring leader, once in 2006 and again in 2007, so it only make sense that Bryant tops the list of Best NBA Shooting Guards Of The 2000s (7K votes), and ranks #2 on The Best NBA Players Of The 2000s (133K votes), with only Shaquille O’Neal ahead of him. Bryant is nearly as dominant on our list covering the second decade of his career, ranking #3 on The Best NBA Shooting Guards Of The 2010s (4K votes) and #6 on The Best NBA Players Of The 2010s (19K votes).
Ranker sports fans put Kobe in the #3 spot on our list of The Top NBA Players Of All Time, an incredible feat on a list with nearly 3 million votes from 20,000 voters. The only players higher than Bryant on the list are Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Curiously enough, Bryant sits lower on the list of The Greatest Lakers Of All Time (132K votes), ranking #5 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West — four players he beats out in the more general NBA list. Rounding out our list of high rankings for Bryant, the five-time championship winner is also #3 on The Most Influential Athletes Of All Time (28K votes) and #6 on The Best Dunkers In NBA History (14K votes).
What Do Kobe Fans Love?
Hundreds of thousands of votes have been cast for Kobe Bryant on some of Ranker’s most popular sports lists. What and who else do those fans vote for? Ranker Insights can tell us more about the likes and dislikes of Bryant’s biggest fans.
Other NBA Players
When it comes to other NBA players, the athlete Kobe fans are most likely to also love isn’t a fellow Laker — rather, it’s Allen Iverson, the legendary shooting and point guard who, along with Bryant and O’Neal, was one of the best and most influential players of his decade. While Bryant’s fans are 4X more likely to love “The Answer,” they’re 3X more likely to love Bryant’s teammate and sometimes rival O’Neal, as well as stars Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and Derrick Rose. With NBA figures off the court, Kobe’s fans are 4X more likely to vote up Phil Jackson, who coached both Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Kobe’s Lakers.
Other Athletes
Outside the NBA, Kobe fans gravitate most toward the Italian soccer superstar Fabio Cannavaro, whom they’re 4X more likely to vote up on lists like The Best Soccer Players Of All Time (4 million votes). Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Bryant was raised partly in Italy! Bryant’s fans are also NFL enthusiasts, as they’re 3X more likely to vote up superstars Dez Bryant and Ray Lewis. They’re also 2X more likely to count themselves fans of retired stars Deion Sanders and Michael Strahan.
Movies and TV
