It’s unfortunate that it’s been a while since Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant passed away. He died in a helicopter crash in January of 2020, and there are plenty of people who still struggle to cope with his passing.
Bryant has made headlines long after his passing after he was recently slotted at a controversial spot in Bleacher Report’s ranking of the 100 best players in NBA history.
Surprisingly, Bleacher Report ranked Bryant at the No. 11 spot and outside of the top 10, and plenty of folks found the placement disrespectful.
TOP 100 NBA PLAYERS OF ALL TIME๐
1๏ธโฃ MJ
2๏ธโฃ LeBron
3๏ธโฃ Kareem
4๏ธโฃ Magic
5๏ธโฃ Russell
6๏ธโฃย Shaq
7๏ธโฃ Duncan
8๏ธโฃ Bird
9๏ธโฃ Wilt
๐ Steph
11 Kobe
12 Hakeem
13 KD
14 Oscar
15 West
16 KG
17 Jokiฤ
18 Dirk
19 David Robinson
20 Dr JFULLย B/R STAFFย RANKINGS HERE: https://t.co/P8hSoAoE1R pic.twitter.com/kq47DdXzYC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 14, 2025
NBA free agent Jae Crowder, who was fortunate enough to play in the league during the twilight of Bryant’s NBA career, took to X to express his disgust at the recent disrespect shown to Bryant.
It’s worth noting that he doesn’t explicitly reference the Bleacher Report article, though.
SEEING THE LATEST DISRESPECT AND ACTS OF FORGETFULNESS TOWARDS THE LATE GREAT @kobebryant SHOWS ME ONCE YOUR GONE EVERYONE SOON QUICKLY FORGETS YOU.!! ๐
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) July 17, 2025
Even Bryant’s former star teammate on the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal, called out Bleacher Report for having ranked 10 players ahead of the five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star.
Kobe at 11 is criminal
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) July 14, 2025
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was ranked ahead of Bryant, and while he’s the best 3-point shooter the NBA has ever seen, he has only one Finals MVP award to show for his four championships won. Bryant, on the other hand, won two Finals MVPs and five championships.
Players whom some folks over at Bleacher Report may have never even saw play live were also controversially ranked above Bryant on the all-time list. Former big man Wilt Chamberlain was slotted at the No. 9 spot, while Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell was ranked at the No. 5 spot.
Both Russell and Chamberlain had wrapped up their NBA stints by the early 1970s. Russell’s final season was in the 1968-69 campaign, and Chamberlain last played in the league in the 1972-73 season.
NBA fans have a right to be discouraged about Bryant not finding himself within the top 10 on Bleacher Report’s list of the 100 greatest players in league history. He is one of the best players ever to step foot on an NBA court and perhaps deserves more recognition for all he accomplished in the league.
