Where does Kobe Bryant rank among the all-time NBA greats?
After Kobe Bryant announced late last year that he plans to retire from the NBA at the end of the 2015-16 season, fans started wondering where he ranks among the greatest basketball players of all time.
For most seasons during his long career, Bryant's yearly scoring average was more than 20 points per game. He was the NBA's scoring leader in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
Below is a breakdown of his yearly season scoring averages and other NBA career numbers that will help you determine Bryant's place in the history books. Asterisks denote active players.
READ MORE: Full coverage of Kobe Bryant's retirement announcement and his final season with the Lakers
Bryant's points per game
Lakers won NBA title
Bryant led league in points per game
2008-09 & 2009-10
NBA Finals MVP
2007-08
NBA MVP
40
35.4
31.6
30
28.6
28.5
28.3
30
27.6
27.9
27.3
27
25.2
25.3
24
22.3
22.5
19.9
20
15.5
15.4
13.8
10
7.6
0
'96
'97
'98
'99
'00
'01
'02
'03
'04
'05
'06
'07
'08
'09
'10
'11
'12
'13
'14
'15
Total points
Rank:
3rd
38,387
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
36,928
Karl Malone
32,683
Kobe Bryant*
32,292
Michael Jordan
31,419
Wilt Chamberlain
28,596
Shaquille O'Neal
28,393
Dirk Nowitzki*
27,409
Moses Malone
27,313
Elvin Hayes
26,946
Hakeem Olajuwon
Minutes played
Rank:
9th
57,446
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
54,852
Karl Malone
50,111
Jason Kidd
50,099
Kevin Garnett*
50,000
Elvin Hayes
47,859
Wilt Chamberlain
47,764
John Stockton
47,619
Reggie Miller
47,178
Kobe Bryant
47,117
Gary Payton
Field goals
Rank:
5th
15,837
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
13,528
Karl Malone
12,681
Wilt Chamberlain
Michael Jordan
12,192
Kobe Bryant
11,388
Shaquille O'Neal
11,330
Elvin Hayes
10,976
Hakeem Olajuwon
10,749
Alex English
10,659
John Havlicek
10,513
Points per game
Rank:
11th
30.12
Michael Jordan
30.07
Wilt Chamberlain
27.36
Elgin Baylor
27.33
Kevin Durant*
27.32
LeBron James*
27.03
Jerry West
26.66
Allen Iverson
26.36
Bob Pettit
26.18
George Gervin
25.68
Oscar Robertson
25.28
Kobe Bryant
25.15
Carmelo Anthony*
Field goals missed
Rank:
1st
13,919
Kobe Bryant
13,417
John Havlicek
13,296
Elvin Hayes
12,682
Karl Malone
12,470
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Michael Jordan
12,345
Dominique Wilkins
11,626
Elgin Baylor
11,478
Allen Iverson
11,439
Dirk Nowitzki*
11,010
Sources: NBA, basketballreference.com
READ MORE: Full coverage of Kobe Bryant's retirement announcement and his final season with the Lakers
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