AROUND the NBA:

[dirkfansince1998]

Obligatory Kobe tribute? Oh c'mon. Kobe was amazing and a 1-on-1 defender's nightmare. 

I think you dun forgot that magical night when Kobe outscored the whole Mavs team (including Dirk) by himself over 3 quarters.

Great player. But that's obviously not all that matters. Style and marketabilty are just as important. Add a tragic death and you have a larger than life idol.
Kobe was good. But never the best player in the league. Great volume scorer. Not the most efficient one. I think compared to his peers he is overrated.
AI is another good example. Had no business winning an MVP award over Duncan and Shaq but he was one of the most popular players of all time. Living legend because he shot 40% from midrange after a crossover. A 7ft guy shooting 50% from the same distance with a weird looking fadeaway is going to win you more games but he isn't going to sell more jerseys.