Kobe passes Shaq

[Stephen Docking]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...e-scoring-list

So Kobe just passed Shaq to become the 5th leading scorer in NBA history

He also has more championships.

Who do you guys think is the better player though? I've still got Shaq even though Kobe now has him bested on two major records. I just don't think I ever saw someone as dominant as Shaq in his prime. He would make Howard look like a bitch in his prime. He even played in college so maybe he would have played longer.

[JiggleIt]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...e-scoring-list

So Kobe just passed Shaq to become the 5th leading scorer in NBA history

He also has more championships.

Who do you guys think is the better player though? I've still got Shaq even though Kobe now has him bested on two major records. I just don't think I ever saw someone as dominant as Shaq in his prime. He would make Howard look like a bitch in his prime. He even played in college so maybe he would have played longer.

Kobe was never really a one-of-a-kind player. He was a lesser Jordan and Wade is a lesser Kobe. After Wilt- who went up against a bunch of unathletic white guys- there was no big as dominant and game-changing as Shaq.

They're both great and happened to have been been on the same team for multiple championships...so it was easy to compare their impact on the same team...sorta. I think I want to say Shaq was the better player because he was so one of a kind.

Interested to hear other's feedback.

[FiveThous]

Shaq to me will always have an asterik by his name. This guy was one of the most talented players to even step forth on the hardwood. However, for whatever reason he just never seemed to dig deep and become as truly dominant as he wanted. He never took conditioning serious and I think that cost him plenty of stats throughout his career.

With all that being said I think he is still being viewed as one of the most dominant players ever. Kobe is close but a dominant big will always beat out a wing player.

[Cratylus]

As far as which player is better, it's Kobe... hands down.

Name the centers who were better than Shaq. You can make an argument that Russell, Chamberlain, and Kareem were all better than Shaq. Some might argue Olajuwon was better too since he had a greater skill set than Shaq, and he led a team with no other legitimate stars to two NBA Championships.

Now, name the shooting guards who were better than Kobe. You have Jordan and that's it. Nobody else is in the discussion.

And as the previous posters have alluded to, Shaq was a freak of nature but he did not give any serious effort towards conditioning or in increasing his skill set.

Contrast that with Kobe. Even though the guy's a total douche, he is as serious a competitor as you will ever find. He plays hurt (unlike Shaq). He has one of the best work ethics in the game. He made painstaking efforts to improve his all around skill level, even hiring Olajuwon to help him work on his post-up game!

The guy is a slime of a human being, but Kobe's a better basketball player than Shaq ever was.

[Pavlovic3Ball]

Shaq was definitely the better player. Kobe is the most overrated player in NBA history though. What are his great NBA Finals moments? How do you miss the playoffs playing with Odom and Caron Butler? How many superstars get carried by their teammates in game 7 of the Finals? Great, great player, but he isn't the god some make him out to be. The man is totally reliant on elite big men or he can't get past the 1st round. He spent close to half his career as a sidekick and he has never had an all-time great Finals series, like Jordan, Wade, Shaq, Magic, etc. Shaq was the lead-dog for the 1st three, Gasol played just as good in 09, and he was CARRIED by his teammates in the 2010 game 7. Did I mention his 04 Finals performance? Aka the most selfish display of basketball we may ever see. I just don't see the arguement for Kobe over Shaq. I still think he is a top 10 player, easily. But out of all the top 10 players in NBA history, he had had the least impact by far when it comes it comes to team success.

[mds]

As far as which player is better, it's Kobe... hands down.

Name the centers who were better than Shaq. You can make an argument that Russell, Chamberlain, and Kareem were all better than Shaq. Some might argue Olajuwon was better too since he had a greater skill set than Shaq, and he led a team with no other legitimate stars to two NBA Championships.

Now, name the shooting guards who were better than Kobe. You have Jordan and that's it. Nobody else is in the discussion.

And as the previous posters have alluded to, Shaq was a freak of nature but he did not give any serious effort towards conditioning or in increasing his skill set.

Contrast that with Kobe. Even though the guy's a total douche, he is as serious a competitor as you will ever find. He plays hurt (unlike Shaq). He has one of the best work ethics in the game. He made painstaking efforts to improve his all around skill level, even hiring Olajuwon to help him work on his post-up game!

The guy is a slime of a human being, but Kobe's a better basketball player than Shaq ever was.

Your avatar makes it impossible for me to read your post.

[Tlyons]

LMFAO @ Kobe hands down. If you want to give the edge to Kobe, ok. I'll hear you out but "Kobe hands down" I can't even read the rest of your post. Don't have enough time to type everything I want to via iPhone.

[RaptorFan]

two very different positions to compare.

[Mdog1]

LOL Shaq by far is a better player. Kobe may go down as a greater player if he can get another ring, but I seriously doubt it. The guy that said look at the C's who are arguably better than Shaq where as only MJ is better than Kobe at SG that is the stupidest Kobe argument I have ever heard. That is right above he looks better than LeBron so he is better (as in his game is pretty). The C position is the most dominant position in league history BY FAR. No comparisson to the SG position. The SG's may have the best player ever, but the C's have 5 of the next 6.

[Czvosec]

I guess it comes down to which you value more: a player's prime or career longevity. During the prime of Shaq's career, you KNEW you were going to win a championship (or at least be the favorite). The same couldn't be said about Kobe.

At the same time, Kobe was going to keep you in contention longer, though that guarantee wasn't there.

While Shaq gets the rap as a player who never lived up to his potential (which has its merits), when the guy got to the playoffs, he was basically unstoppable. In that 3-peat with LA, he averaged 31-15, 30-15, 29-13. He was, without question, the most dominant player in the game. Can you say the same about Kobe, at any ONE point in his career? I'm not so sure you can.

At the end of the day though, I struggle to come up with an answer because I don't see a definitive one. However, if I'm a GM, I take a locked in Shaq over Kobe every day of the week.... problem is, you have to guess the right week.