According to an article on ESPN, Dirk Nowitzki thinks that Kobe is the greatest player of his generation. This of course coming as a response to Kobe passing Michael Jordan for 3rd on the all-time scoring list. Dirk is currently 9th on the all-time scoring list. There is a mutual respect between these two players. I would have to agree with Dirk that Kobe is the greatest of his generation. The only other player that comes close is Tim Duncan. But I definitely put Kobe ahead of Duncan.