NBA Player of the Decade: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers

According to a recent report at gather.com, TNT has recently named Kobe Bryant, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, as their NBA Player of the Decade. Bryant was apparently selected from a list of six finalists which included LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.

But TNT Analyst Kenny Smith, made a note that Allen Iverson should have been on the list, while LeBron James hadn’t even been in the league for the entire decade. Originally, there were 12 players on the list which included Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and Dwayne Wade.

TNT analysts were said to have picked away at the original list, until they had their final six, which also included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash. Fans then apparently voted via the NBA.com website, ultimately naming Kobe Bryant as the overall winner.

The Los Angeles Lakers star reportedly received 54% of the fans votes, while LeBron James finished second with 17% of the votes and Shaquille O’Neal came in third, with just 13 % of the votes. The announcement was apparently made after the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.