A Hero, A Legend, A Superstar

Many people would argue that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. After his retirement, it is clear that there are three people in the league right now who can take that away from him, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade. Out of these three players though, who is the best?

Kobe Bryant is a stellar athlete. He came into the NBA right out of high school in the 1996 draft. In his first three seasons he mostly came off the bench. Then in 1999, when Phil Jackson became the head coach Bryant suddenly became a premiere guard in the country. He won NBA championships one after the other along side Shaquille O'Neal. However, in my opinion, Kobe Bryant is only as good as he is today because of the people he has been surrounded by all his career. When Jackson stepped down as head coach in 2004 Bryant took a tumble and his career began to slouch. Then in 2007, when Jackson came back Bryant's slump ended, and he was surrounded by players such as Paul Gasol and Lamar Odom. Kobe Bryant is clearly not the next greatest player to ever play the game. Yes, Bryant will be in the Hall-of-Fame and go down as one of the best ever, but there are some things that have really hurt his career, the law suit against him being the worst offense.

Lebron James also came right out of high school and was taken first overall in the 2003 NBA draft. Like Jordan, James also wears number 23, is the best player on his team, is time and time again an NBA MVP candidate, and is endorsed by many companies all across the country. Lebron James sells. However, James has yet to win an NBA championship. When it comes to debating a new all-time greatest player ever, James' name will always be brought up in the conversation, however, it is clear to me that Lebron is not a clutch player. He has yet to come through for his team when it matters most.

Dwayne Wade, like James, was drafted in 2003, out of college, unlike Kobe and James. I think college is key to a player's success. Yes many NBA players have become superstars out of high school, but college improves an athletes fundamentals. The college game teaches players how to be better at what they do. Dwayne Wade quickly emerged as a productive guard in Miami. He averaged 16.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 4.0 rpg he rookie season and took his team to the playoffs. Then, he won a NBA Championship along side Shaq in 2006. Today, without Shaq, Wade is still able to keep his team in games. He is that leader of his team who has the most experience and is a veteran.

I believe that Dwayne Wade is the next M.J. He has the quickness of His Airness and he is able to throw it down just like Mike. Wade is a hero to the people of Miami, soon to become a legend of the game, and is currently a superstar. He has been marketed on video games and has his own shoe. Wade is truly the next Michael Jordan because of his leadership, playing style, off the court responsibility, and respect for the game.