Next to Dennis Rodman.

You might scoff at those first few items, but Bryant seems a safe bet to be at the top of the sport.

In fact, he's got a better chance than anyone else.

Why? Because he'll still be in his prime at only 27 and he's way ahead of his peers, as it is. By the middle of the decade, he'll be focused on winning championships, not scoring titles.

"When you look at Magic, Larry and Michael, all that mattered to them was winning," Bryant will say. "That's how I feel."

The second-best player will be Kevin Garnett, although Eddie Griffin's supporters will say the Chicago Bulls star, starting his third season for Pitino's team, is gaining fast on Garnett, now moving toward his 30th birthday.

Bryant will have a few things going for him. The Lakers will finally be his team, after Shaq hangs it up at the age of 32. "I always thought the triangle was more suited for me," Bryant will say. "I guess I was right."

In fact, Kobe will be coming off two straight scoring titles, so he'll have that urge to score out of his system by then.

In five years, the experts will look back and say they've seen Bryant dominate the game this way, circa 1999-2000, when the Lakers won their first championship. While Shaq walked off with the MVP, Bryant was probably the all-around best player in the game.

Remember how Michael Jordan did whatever it took to win and simply refused to allow the Bulls to lose? That's the kind of player Bryant was at points in 1999-00, and he'll be doing it to an even larger degree in 2005.

If the Lakers need someone to make a key assist, block a shot, get a steal, shut down a great offensive player, grab a rebound or get a basket or a trip to the line late in a playoff game, No. 8 is capable of doing all that. That's what separates him from everyone else, even as he was playing in only his fifth season in 2001.

Case in point was his defense the year before against Iverson. Before Iverson's body totally broke down, Iverson was considered the most unguardable player in the league. But Bryant shut him down in several memorable confrontations en route to a berth on the All-Defense first team.

Using his total game to win is what will separate Bryant from several notable players (remember, this is in five years):

	MORE ON DA BEST We have more coverage on the best players in the NBA than Tim Duncan. Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine hung out with Chris Webber, while Jeffrey Denberg discusses Allen Iverson. Check out the Best Player Index page to tell us your favorite and see all our features.

So how did Bryant get to the top? All the fans will trace his rigorous offseason work, improvement in several key areas and the natural maturing process.

Like Jordan, he stopped trying to take over games from the opening tip and instead made it a priority to get other players involved. He discovered that the more he involved his teammates, the harder and better they played. Sometimes, he'd go the first five or six minutes to see how the game was unfolding and where he needed to apply his talents.

"Just like Michael Jordan used to," Bryant noted. "I found out how to let the game come to me and not be in such a rush. That was hard, because I was used to doing everything early."

Bryant also developed a low-post game and with Shaq's departure, had the inside to himself. His ability to create offense in the post, a la Jordan, made him even tougher to cover late in games.

The scouting report earlier in his career was to play off him and prevent him from getting to the rim. But his perimeter game improved to where opponents had to guard him as far out as the 3-point line. His shot selection, long considered the weakest phase of his game, got to be so good, starting around 2002, that he turned into an impossible cover. That's when the comparisons started.

"Nah, I don't want to say I'm as good as Jordan, Bryant will say modestly.

"OK, maybe."

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