Basketball Hall of Fame: 5 Players who could get inducted to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019

#2 Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers v Denver Nuggets, Game 6

Here is a player that needs no introduction. The Black Mamba currently ranks third both on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists. He has been selected to 15 All-NBA Team(eleven times to the All-NBA First Team) and 12 All-Defensive Team (nine times to the All-Defensive First Team).

He was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game on 18 occasions, winning All-Star MVP Awards in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011 (he shared the 2009 award with Shaquille O'Neal). He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997. Fans regularly rage about how such an important player won only one MVP, in '07-'08. He won an Olympic gold in 2008.

This is just a laundry list of his achievements. Kids today see LeBron's brute drives to the rim and they admire his strength (to be honest he does have a lot of it) but Kobe's forays to the rim were wild and carefree.

In the 2000s decade, only Nash, Ginobili, Iverson and Rip Hamilton even came close to Kobe in terms of joyous unpredictability. He established the Mamba Mentality way of playing, and burned with a competitive drive unlike almost anyone else in the NBA at the time.

He was the closest thing - playing style and attitude wise - to Michael Jordan in a league yearning for an alpha dog player. His 81 point game against the Raptors and 60 points last game against the Jazz are legendary.

He has five championships, the first three being a 1999-2001 treble and the last two being '09 and '10, the last of which he won by beating the rival Celtics. He also won two Finals MVPs during his last two wins. His alpha dog playing style and relentless approach was second to none.