NBA's Top 10 of All-Time Nominees

Kobe Bryant just topped the 30,000 points plateau. He's in rarified air -- even more rarified than before. Everyone's taking stock of his career now, as we tend to do when athletes pass milestones. Some presciently wondered if Kobe might have moved in to Top 5 of all time territory. That's a tough crew to crack. There are certain players -- specifically Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson -- for which no logical argument exists to dispute their place among that group. That fifth spot is exceedingly debatable. Bird? Wilt? Someone else? Kobe? He definitely has the stats, hardware, highlights, longevity and oral history to make a solid case. But, then again, there is actually a case to be made that Kobe isn't even Top 10 -- a flimsy one, but it isn't an insane assertion, given the supreme greatness of his "greatest of the greats" peers. We're dealing with infinitesimal fractions of separation when deciding our personal Top 10s. Here's the thing though: there are 15 players -- and ONLY 15 -- that belong in the conversation. And this is the list of eligible nominees, sequenced in the order they were drafted...