I am no Kobe fan AT ALL, and he is definitely somewhat overrated, but to suggest that Stockton or CP3 were better is ridiculous. Maravich? He didn't even score half as many points as Kobe and did nothing in the playoffs. Anyone suggesting that is taking college stats into consideration, he wasn't close to a top 10 NBA player.
Pau more impactful? Kobe was the #1 option and Finals MVP. I LOVE KG, but he does not rank higher All-Time. You can't knock Lebron for going to Miami to win rings or Kobe for needing Shaq and not give the same consideration to KG's ring. Sure, I am still p---ed that the refs paraded Kobe to the line to win the 2010 series but it is what it is...
Kobe is definitely top 20 and borderline top 10. I would put him around 12th All-Time. If he had been a better teammate (yes, a big if) he would be close to Magic, Bird, Lebron and ahead of Duncan. He is certainly a tick above Dirk, Ewing types and right there clustered with Duncan, West, Robertson, Big O, Olajuwon, maybe Dr J. You could argue him as high as 9th and I wouldn't have a serious problem with it (Jordan, Russell, Wilt, Bird, Magic, Kareem, Lebron, Shaq are the top 8 to me in approximate order).
Why is it ridiculous to say CP3 is better? Statistically he's like 100x better. .249WS/48 for his career to Kobe's .170. 7.5BPM. Kobe's *best* season he got .224WS/48, and that's the only season he was above .210. Kobe's career BPM is 3.9, and again he didn't have a *single season* that matched CP3's career 7.5BPM. At his peak, CP3 put up .292WS/48, 11.2BPM, and a 10.0 VORP, which absolutely smashes Kobe's best year: .210WS/48, 6.4BPM, 7.1VORP.
If anything these stats *underrate* CP3's defense. CP3 was the best defensive PG in the league for almost a decade, while also being the best offensive guard for a few years in there. I think this one is no contest: CP3 is the most underrated player of the generation, and I'm very glad he didn't play for the lakers.
Have you watched CP3 in big games as well as Kobe? That should answer your question. Statistics can indicate many things but I have yet to see one that indicates end of game performance in clutch situations and accounts for injuries, etc. Kobe has never been afraid of the moment, while CP3 has never led his team to anything resembling a conference finals, much less a championship.
Especially as a PG, you have to win. What has CP3 won in the NBA? You cannot just discount all the injuries that have kept him out of key series and all the losses when he has been playing.
I agree CP3 is tremendous defensively, underrated in general, and he is an instant HOF player. I would not put him much ahead of Stockton though for example, as Stockton took over many more important games, won more, and was a better passer. CP3 clearly a better defender. I think Stockton was better at getting teammates involved and the PNR with Malone was obviously one of the great plays in NBA history. It is also absurd to put Stockton ahead of Kobe.
Rings are important. The Horry argument is a strawman because guys like that are role players who make big shots, not players who win MVP's and score 81 in a game. Even if you want to argue Kobe wasn't the best player on most of those teams there is ZERO chance they win ANY of those titles without Kobe on the team. You cannot say the same about guys like Kerr, Fisher, and Horry.
Believe me, I love CP3 as a person more than Kobe but CP3 is more like a top 25-35 type player not top 10. He will rise if he can somehow get a ring, but I personally don't see any scenario where he is considered better than Kobe.