We asked our legion of B/R NBA experts, writers and editors to take a list of the best 500 current and former NBA stars and whittle it down to their top 100, ranked. It’s an impossible task, especially when confronted with the reality of comparing players from different eras.

Kobe's highest ranking was fourth while at least one expert slotted him as low as 18th. Even the writeup on the five-time NBA champion said Bryant's potential top 10 all-time status is "remains one of basketball's most heated debates here in 2025."