Kobe Bryant’s name still carries weight on any defensive list, which is exactly why Bleacher Report’s latest ranking is going to land hard with Lakers fans.
Bryant came in at No. 42 among the NBA’s greatest defenders of all time, sitting just behind Joakim Noah and one spot in front of Tyson Chandler. For a player who piled up 12 All-Defensive selections over a 20-year career, including nine First Team honors, that placement is bound to spark a reaction.
Only Tim Duncan, with 15 All-Defensive team selections, finished with more. Even so, Bleacher Report still slotted Bryant behind several players with shorter defensive peaks and fewer career honors.
The ranking’s own explanation leaned into the part of Bryant’s defensive identity that fans remember best. Andy Bailey wrote, “Kobe relished the opportunity to take on the opposition’s best perimeter scorer,”
That mindset clearly mattered to the voters. It just didn’t carry enough weight to push Bryant anywhere near the top 40.
Bleacher Report said its panel weighed advanced metrics, traditional production, awards, longevity, peak dominance and the eye test. On paper, Bryant has plenty going for him.
Beyond those nine First Team nods, he finished in the top 10 of Defensive Player of the Year voting six times. He averaged 1.4 steals for his career and regularly took on the toughest perimeter assignment while carrying a massive offensive load.
But the advanced numbers were less kind.
Bryant was listed with a career defensive box plus/minus of minus-0.1, and that likely played a role in keeping him outside the top 40. He also never won Defensive Player of the Year, unlike Noah and Chandler, the two players directly ahead of him, who each took home the award once while anchoring elite defenses.
Still, Bryant’s best individual ballot showing was No. 18, which shows just how differently the panel viewed his defensive resume.
He wasn’t even the highest-ranked shooting guard. Michael Jordan checked in at No. 15 after winning the 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year award and earning nine First Team All-Defensive selections. Bleacher Report highlighted Jordan’s ability to stay elite defensively while also carrying the league’s biggest offensive burden.
Gary Payton led all guards at No. 14, while LeBron James landed at No. 22, 20 spots ahead of Bryant. In James’ case, the ranking pointed to his defensive peak with the first Cleveland Cavaliers stint and during four seasons with the Miami Heat, when his strength, size and speed let him control players at multiple positions.
Scottie Pippen was even higher, landing at No. 8.
Bryant did finish ahead of Joe Dumars, Dennis Johnson, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince, Eddie Jones and Derrick White, which is no small list. But for a player whose defensive edge became such a big part of his legend, No. 42 still feels like a jolt.
Maybe Bryant got some late-career credit from reputation. Maybe his defensive energy naturally faded as his offensive responsibilities grew.
Either way, 12 All-Defensive selections are too substantial to wave away. Bryant spent years taking on the hardest assignment on the floor while also doing the heavy lifting for the Lakers on offense.
No. 42 isn’t a slight in the abstract. For Lakers fans, though, it will probably read like one.
In Other News...
Luka Just Shared The LeBron Standard That Shaped The Lakers
Luka Doncic has had a front-row seat to what has long made LeBron James different, and he did not sound surprised by the standard James sets every day. Doncic pointed to Jamess work ethic and preparation habits as the kind of example that can shape a locker room, which is part of why the Lakers have talked so much about culture since pairing the two stars.
For Doncic, the experience came during a stretch in which he was producing at an elite level for Los Angeles before a season-ending injury shut him down and ended the teams playoff hopes. Even with that disappointment, the broader takeaway from his comments was clear: Jamess habits have left a mark on teammates, and the Lakers will feel that influence long after the games themselves move on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Lakers Champion Just Floated A Wild New LeBron Theory
Markieff Morris, a former Lakers champion, stirred the pot on social media with a speculative chain of NBA moves that would send James Harden to the Phoenix Suns and Jalen Green to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The idea is not tied to any confirmed transaction, but it was the kind of wild roster domino theory that can take on a life of its own once it hits the timeline.
For Lakers fans, the most striking part is the way the scenario reaches all the way back to LeBron James and Cleveland, even as the mechanics of the deal would require a sign-and-trade structure to make the Harden-to-Phoenix and Green-to-Cleveland pieces work. There had not been prior buzz about Green landing in Cleveland before Morris floated the idea, which is part of what makes the whole thing feel more like offseason imagination than a real blueprint, at least for now. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Rumors Just Took A Turn Warriors Fans Will Notice
Jonathan Kumingas future is still unsettled as the NBA calendar turns toward the 2026-27 season, and the latest chatter has put the Lakers in the mix. Los Angeles and Atlanta have reportedly held discussions around a sign-and-trade concept, with the kind of moving parts that usually signal real interest even if nothing is close to done yet. For the Lakers, it is another reminder that the front office is still willing to hunt for talent on the margins of the roster and through bigger transactions if the right opportunity opens up.
The wrinkle is that the deal structure is not simple, and that is usually where these talks either slow down or change shape entirely. Other names have surfaced as possible pieces in a broader three-team framework, which suggests the Lakers are at least exploring different ways to make the math work without emptying the cupboard in one shot. For now, Kuminga remains in that familiar NBA limbo where the buzz is real, the fit is obvious enough to discuss, and the final answer is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]