The NBA's Player of the Decade - 2000-09

From 2000 to 2009, the NBA has produced the best and most talented basketball players in the world. But who is the unequivocal and absolute best player of the decade? That honor belongs to the enigmatic and polarizing Kobe Bryant.

After the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas, Inside the NBA on TNT revealed the results of a poll asking fans to vote for the NBA's player of the decade. The result was Kobe Bryant in a landslide, taking 54 percent of the vote. The Inside the NBA crew of Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber altogether disagreed and accused fans that voted of short term memory.

Not to disparage the TNT crew, but they're the ones mistaken. The fans got it right.

The choices TNT gave for the Player of the Decade were Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Steve Nash, and Shaquille O'Neal; with Kobe Bryant earning 54 percent of the votes, followed by Lebron James with 17 percent, Shaquille O'Neal with 13 percent, Tim Duncan with 8 percent, Steve Nash with 5 percent and Kevin Garnett with 3 percent.

If any case is to made, the fans were definitely mistaken in giving Lebron James 17 percent of the vote, given that James did not play the complete decade, but that perhaps is TNT's fault for even offering James' name in the discussion in the first place. Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash have been one of the best in their respective positions this decade, but not enough to compete against Bryant's, O'Neal's or Duncan's achievements with only one appearance in the finals between the two.

Without a doubt, a very strong case can be made for both Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan for earning the honors of NBA Player of the Decade. The TNT crew suggested that the honor was either a tie between the two players or should be solely given to Shaquille O'Neal.

For certain, O'Neal's numbers in the first three years of the decade, while with the Los Angeles Lakers (from 2000 to 2004), were the most dominant of any center this decade, averaging nearly 30 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots in 40 minutes per game. After 2003 though, O'Neal's numbers began to decline, especially with the Miami Heat and with the Phoenix Suns, as he began averaging 20 points, less than 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in 30 minutes per game. Each team he has been with this decade has made a playoff appearance, with O'Neal only missing the 2009 Playoffs due to injury. Throughout most of the decade, his career has been riddled with weight problems and injuries, but despite his health issues, O'Neal has won 4 NBA championships (2000-2002, 2006), 3 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards, 3 NBA regular season Most Valuable Player awards, and has appeared in 5 Finals appearances in the decade, making O'Neal one of the greatest centers in the NBA's history.

On the other hand, Tim Duncan has led the San Antonio spurs to 3 championships (in 2003, 2005, 2007) and 3 Finals appearances this decade. His personal achievements of 2 NBA Finals MVPs and 2 NBA MVPs speaks volume of his leadership and remarkable consistency in play, averaging about 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocked shots in nearly 40 minutes per game. With Duncan, the Spurs have made the playoffs every single year, but due to injury, he did not play in the 2000 playoffs. This decade, he has been consistently the best power forward and arguably one of the greatest power forwards in the NBA's history.

On paper, both O'Neal's and Duncan's achievements this decade are nearly identical with O'Neal appearing in one more NBA Final than Duncan, while Duncan won his first NBA championship and Finals MVP in 1999, before the decade started, making their total NBA championships and Finals MVP awards at the same tally of 4 and 3 respectively.

But despite O'Neal's and Duncan's achievements, the fans voted for Kobe Bryant as the Player of the Decade. To say the fans are blinded by short term memory because of O'Neal's and Duncan's recent decline out of their respective primes is a disrespect to Kobe Bryant's achievements.

For this entire decade, Kobe Bryant's individual accolades boasts a decade high of 6 Finals appearances (2000-2002, 2004, 2008-2009) with the Los Angeles Lakers, more than any other active player besides teammate Derek Fisher. As a 4 time NBA champion, 1 time 2009 Finals MVP, and 1 time 2008 regular season NBA MVP, Bryant has consistently been the most dominant shooting guard of the decade.

His 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors is in NBA history, the second highest number of points scored in a single game behind Wilt Chamberlain and the most impressive shooting performance in the NBA's history. From 2006 to 2007, he became the second player in NBA history to have 4 straight 50 point games and the only player to do so since the advent of the 24-second shot clock, when he outscored the entire Mavericks team 62-61 by the 4th quarter.

Throughout the decade, Kobe has been in his prime, missing only one playoff appearance with the Lakers in 2005 due to injury, and has been acknowledged as the best shooting guard since Michael Jordan. Despite Kobe's polarizing figure in the NBA, he has accomplished much in this decade to be regarded as one of the decade's best. He is respected as the most complete basketball player throughout the decade for his unparalleled work ethic and dedication to the game by achieving the footwork, versatility, and ability to create his own shots. As a shooting guard, his ability to carry a team offensively for stretches of a game, defend opposing team's best player, create shots for others, shoot in unlimited ranges, and win playoff games has established himself this decade as a clutch shooter with averages of 27.9 points, 5.3 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.

Compared to O'Neal and Duncan, Bryant's MVP accolades do not seem as impressive; however, he is the only one out of the three to appear in the NBA Finals 6 times, winning in 2000 to 2002 and 2009, with appearances in the 2004 Finals and the 2008 Finals, a feat neither Duncan or O'Neal achieved in that decade. And before discrediting Bryant's first three championships with the Lakers, remember, yes O'Neal was the leading scorer of that team, but without Bryant's contributions and his performances throughout those three years, O'Neal wouldn't have won three championships with Bryant either. It was in the 2000 playoffs that Bryant became an established clutch player when he scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks during game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers to catapult the Lakers into the 2000 Finals where he once again, proved himself to be more than just O'Neal's wingman. In the waning minutes of the 2000 Final's game four's overtime, O'Neal had fouled out, and a hobbling Bryant scored eight points to give the Lakers a 3 to 1 lead in the series.

The final resounding reason why Bryant is the unequivocal Player of the Decade is simple: he has simply been in his prime throughout the decade, playing through injuries, and appearing in the NBA Finals six of the ten years. Whereas both O'Neal and Duncan started off the decade strong, they have ended the decade past their prime and without playoff victories to show for. Bryant has opened the decade and closed the decade with championships, and his numbers throughout the decade have remained wholly consistent.

In the end, even if you don't agree with the Player of the Decade, give thanks for witnessing three future Hall of Famers play the game and win a combined 7 of the last 10 NBA championships and become arguably three of the greatest basketball legends to ever play the game.