Kobe is fourth all-time in career points (regular and postseason combined), tied for second in total All-NBA nods, third in total All-Star selections and third in total 40-point games (including the playoffs).
There is no question that for most of two decades, he was among the very best players in the world. But “among the best” and “the best” are two different things.
Kobe never led the league in box plus/minus or player efficiency rating. He only secured one MVP win and is outside the top 10 in career MVP shares.
For most of his career, Kobe wasn’t wearing the NBA’s “best player championship belt.”
His teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, held that honor early on in his career. For a while, it was probably Tim Duncan. Eventually, LeBron James came along, snagged the belt and didn’t let it go for several years. Stephen Curry may have even grabbed it before Kobe retired.
Meanwhile, the players above him in the top 100—which includes everyone named in the preceding paragraph—all had multi-year peaks in which they were clearly holding the belt. The lone exception may be Wilt Chamberlain, who had Bill Russell to contend with.