2 of the greatest perimeter defenders in NBA history, both Kobe and Jordan retired with 9 First Team All-NBA Defensive selections. MJ won a Defensive Player of the Year award, which is something that only two guards have ever done (Gary Payton).

It's always surprising to me how defense is not mentioned much in the all-time debates. It's one of the things that puts Kobe way ahead of some other offensively talented players in my mind, and if you think about the number of guards today that actually play good, consistent defense, you might have a hard time finding more than 5 or 6.

Off the top of my head, I can list Klay Thompson, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler, Pat Beverley, and Marcus Smart. And I only consider Klay, Jrue, and Pat to be really elite. Imagine having the responsibility of scoring 30 a game and still playing better defense than these guys..I hope you enjoy the video and stay tuned for more installments in the (hopefully) near future.

Music by Julian Avila.