http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/kobe-bryant-walks-again-discloses-time-top-five-205011601.html

Kobe Bryant walks again! (And discloses his all-time top five NBA players)
By Kelly Dwyer | Ball Don't Lie

Kobe Bryant began walking on his surgically repaired left heel three weeks ago, but because our man knows timing (both on the day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals; and on the day Instagram released a video program set to compete with Vine), he’s decided to release clips of him walking inside a hospital from June 1.

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If Kobe is walking on the 1st of June, this means there will be a slim chance that Our Favorite Kobester can return in time for the opening of the 2013-14 season around the same day in November. Kobe tore his Achilles in the second week of April, but he vowed right away that he would do whatever it took to cut the 6-8 month rehab designation down quite a bit, if possible. Mainly because he’s Kobe Bryant, and this is what he does.

In lighter news, Bryant barely hesitated on Thursday in giving his list of the five greatest players in NBA history, and it’s hard to argue with Kobe’s take.

From ESPN 710 in Los Angeles, via For the Win:

“It’s not very difficult for me. I’d go Magic, Jordan, Bird, Russell and Jabbar.
[…]

“I will say as the years go on people really forget how great Larry Bird was,” Bryant said. “He was ridiculous. And I grew up in LA — just like everyone else here — hating his guts. Dude — the guy was just money.”

Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West (the man that traded for Kobe Bryant out of high school back in 1996) may raise a rightful hackle, but it’s hard to not only take issue with that list, or think of a more impactful starting five.

We’ll see you in the fall, Kobe. Try to bring Dwight Howard back with you.

credit: sports.yahoo.com

Magic, Jordan, Bird, Russell and Jabbar all can make a legitimate case for being the best/most dominant player in NBA history. So can Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson

Jerry West can't legitimately make that argument. Shaq probably could.

There are a couple of players who would rank behind those guys but ahead of West.

If you take those 8 guys (Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Shaq, Bird, Magic, Oscar and Michael) and say "these are the guys who have some argument to be called the best ever", then IMO, Tim Duncan is the best player who's not on that list. I'd probably rank Kobe ahead of West as well, even though I'm sure Kobe deliberately left himself out of the discussion.

Lebron's resume is still being updated annually, we'll see where he ranks in a couple of years

Starting in the mid-70s, literally everyone's all time team began with Robertson and West in the backcourt. After Magic and Jordan came along, some might still put Oscar back there, but no one really thinks any more that West was the equal of those guys.

Kobe needs to retire after next season because he's played long enough and he got 5 championships. Lakers are gonna be rebuilding and i know he doesn't wanna be a part of that especially now that Dwight left. Kobe shouldn't rush trying to come back. He needs to take his injury seriously.