NBA is full of elite players, young and old, and debate rages about where these stars fit in NBA history.

Can you compare across eras? Is the game easier these days, or do the past legends deserve more respect from today’s commentators?

This blog tackles where today’s greats fit into the “greatest players in NBA history” argument.

Let’s leave LeBron James out of this for now because he is still cementing his legacy. He is already undoubtedly an all-time top 10 player but could stake a claim for a spot in the top five by the time he retires.

Let’s take a look at the three greatest players in the league today who are on their way out – Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.

Are these legendary performers top 10 players, top 20 players and/or do they feature in the top five for their position?

History tells us that names like West, Robertson, Johnson, Jordan, Bird, Erving, Baylor, Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, O’Neal, Cousy, Mikan and Havlicek all deserve to be regarded as legends of the game, but where do Duncan, Bryant and Nowitzki rank within this company?

Let’s take a look with a summary of their careers and then attempt to place them among this elite company.

Dirk Nowitzki was taken with the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, and traded to Dallas for Robert Traylor.

You can’t help but wonder if some of those Milwaukee execs still have sleepless nights thinking about that deal?

Nowitzki is an 11-time all-star, was the league MVP in 2007 and NBA Champion and Finals MVP in 2011.

He is a 4-time first team, 5-time second team and 3-time third team all-NBA selection and remains the only player with 100 blocks and 150 threes in a season (which he achieved in 2001).

Constantly criticised for being a mediocre defender, he was tagged as Irk Nowitzki early in his career (no D) and welcomed the stellar defence of Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd in the Dallas title run in 2011.

Having defensive talent like this around him meant Nowitzki was able to contribute to a team defence that hid his individual deficiencies.

While he starred individually early in his career, it took a long time for Dallas to experience team success as they failed to progress deep into the playoffs in the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons.

In 2005/06, Nowitzki led a Dallas team to the NBA Finals but saved his worst for last as he experienced a horror finals series as the Miami Heat defeated the Mavericks in six games.

In 2006/07, further questions were raised about Nowitzki’s performances under pressure as Dallas became only the second #1 seed to lose in the first round in history as the upstart Golden State Warriors knocked them out in six games.

In 2007/08 a first round loss to the New Orleans Hornets saw Avery Johnson sacked as head coach and Rick Carlisle replace him in a move that would pay dividends in the near future.

Nowitzki had an epic individual series against the Denver Nuggets in the second round in 2008/09, averaging over 34 points and 11 rebounds a game but it was not enough as the Mavericks lost, as they did to San Antonio in the first round in 2009/10.

If Nowitzki’s career was assessed after the 2009/10 season, many would argue he didn’t really handle the playoffs as you would expect someone of his skill would do.

However that all changed in 2010/11 when Nowitzki had what many regard as one of the great playoff performances in NBA history as he led the Mavericks to the NBA title, beating the Big 3 of the Miami Heat 4-2.

Nowitzki’s offensive performance was among the best the league has seen, with perhaps the most amazing statistic being that he scored as many fourth quarter points as James and Dwayne Wade combined.

What the Mavericks needed, Dirk delivered.

In 2011/12 the Mavericks were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round and in 2012/13 Nowitzki injured his knee late in the season as Dallas missed the playoffs.

In his regular season career Nowitzki has scored 25,197 points (16th all time) at an average of 22.6 PPG and averaged 8.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .475 from the field, .381 from the three-point line and.877 from the foul line.

In the playoffs those numbers improve to 25.9, 10.3, .463, .380 and .893 respectively; Nowitzki is one of only four players in NBA history to average 25 points and 10 rebounds in his playoff career.

By any measure, Nowitzki deserves to be mentioned among the all-time greats of the game and is unquestionably the greatest European player in history.

Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in 1996 draft by the Charlotte Hornets, and then traded to Los Angeles Lakers.

He is a 15-time all-star, was the league MVP in 2007, is a 5-time NBA Champion and 2-time Finals MVP.

He has been awarded 11 first team, two second team and one third team all-NBA selections and is a 9-time first defensive team player.

In his early years, straight out of Lower Merion High School, Bryant took no time putting his stamp on the NBA.

Coming off the bench, Bryant quickly established himself as a legitimate NBA player although he experienced some tough times in the playoffs.

Between 1999/00 and 2001/02 the Lakers three-peated as NBA champions, and Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal combined as one of the better one-two punches in recent history.

Normally averaging 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game would be enough for the Finals MVP, but Bryant had to be satisfied with being a three-time NBA champ at the age of 23.

In 2002/03 Bryant scored 40+ points in nine consecutive games as his star continued to grow, but come the playoffs the Lakers lost in the Western Conference semi-finals to the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2003/04 season saw the Lakers pick up NBA veteran stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton via free agency, assembling a star-studded team that was expected to win the NBA title.

However the no-name Detroit Pistons proved that a champion team will beat a team of champions, beating the Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals. Bryant struggled against the Pistons defence, averaging 22 points a game and shooting at just 35% from the field.

Season 2004/05 was disappointing for the famous franchise as they missed the playoffs, but Bryant was on a mission to ensure this didn’t happen again in 2005/06 and put forward some stunning individual performances.

Firstly, he scored 62 in three quarters against Dallas, and in the process outscored the Mavericks by himself while on the court.

Secondly he scored 81 points against Toronto which remains the second highest scoring game in NBA history. And Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game in January.

However come the playoffs this individual brilliance counted for little as the Lakers lost in first round to the Phoenix Suns.

In the deciding Game 7, Los Angeles was blown out and Bryant chose to defer to less talented teammates, taking only three shots in the second half and coming in for scathing criticism from all angles.

The end result in 2006/07 was the same, as the Lakers had another first round loss to the Suns. Bryant tallied four straight 50 point games and ten for the season, adding more strength to the growing argument that he was the greatest offensive player the NBA had seen since Michael Jordan.

From seasons 2007/08 to 2009/10 the Lakers made the NBA Finals.

They lost to their arch-rival the Boston Celtics in 2007/08, beat the upstart Orlando Magic in 2008/09 and gained revenge against the Celtics in 2009/10.

Bryant struggled in Game 7 shooting 6/24 from the field, but had 15 rebounds and willed the Lakers home with 10 fourth quarter points. He also won the NBA Finals MVP in both title wins during this time.

2010/11 saw a disappointing second round loss to Dallas, who swept away the Lakers and in the process ended Phil Jackson’s highly successful coaching career.

Another second round loss followed in 2011/12 as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the Lakers season; and season 2012/13 finished early for Bryant as he tore his Achilles tendon late in the regular season and has not yet returned from this injury.

In his regular season career Bryant has scored 31,617 points (4th all time) at an average of 25.5 PPG and averaged 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, shooting .454 from the field, .336 from the three-point line and.838 from the foul line.

In the playoffs his numbers are 25.6, 5.1, 4.7 .448, .331 and .816 respectively.

While Michael Jordan is unequivocally recognised as history’s greatest shooting guard and the best player the basketball world has seen, few have as strong a claim to be regarded as the next best shooting guard as Kobe Bean Bryant.

Tim Duncan was the first pick in 1997 draft, taken by the San Antonio Spurs.

He is a 14-time all-star, 2-time NBA MVP, 4-time NBA Champion and 3-time Finals MVP.

He has been awarded 10 first team, three second team and one third team all-NBA selections and is a 8-time all-defensive first team player and 6-time all-defensive second team player.

Often young players struggle to adjust to the tempo of the NBA, and many early draft picks find the pressure hard to handle.

To say Duncan hit the ground running and handled the pressure expertly would be an understatement; in his first season in 1997/98 he averaged 21.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game and helped take the Spurs from the lottery into the second round, where they lost to the Utah Jazz.

Not satisfied with his first season, Duncan added an NBA title and the Finals MVP to his resume’ in the lockout-shortened 1998/99 season as the Spurs defeated the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

In 1999/00 Duncan suffered a knee injury and missed the playoffs, watching on as his team lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.

Duncan returned to the court in 2000/01 but despite his brilliantly consistency the Spurs lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals, and followed with another loss to the Lakers in 2001/02, this time in the second round.

The 2002/03 season finished better as the Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals, and Duncan topped off a stellar Finals MVP performance with a legendary performance in the clinching Game 6 victory, posting 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks.

San Antonio’s arch nemesis the Lakers had the Spurs measure again in 2003/04, knocking the Spurs out in the second round but San Antonio responded in 2004/05 as they defeated the reigning champion Detroit Pistons, with Duncan taking a third NBA Finals MVP.

2005/06 saw the Spurs lose a seven-game classic to Dallas in the Western Conference finals despite 39 points from Duncan, but again the Spurs responded from that disappointment to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and young gun LeBron James in the 2006/07 NBA Finals.

Since then, the Spurs have continued to feature in the playoffs and made two Western Conference finals (2007/08 and 2011/12) and the NBA Finals in 2012/13 but haven’t tasted the ultimate success. Duncan has continued to play at an elite level and displayed remarkable durability.

In his 15-year regular season career Duncan has scored 23,859 points (22nd all time) at an average of 20.2 points per game and grabbed 13,259 rebounds (13th all time) at an average of 11.2 rebounds per game. He has added 2.2 blocks a game and shot at .507 from the field.

His playoffs numbers are 21.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Duncan is recognised and respected as an amazingly consistent player and the statistics support that argument. However to label Duncan as a consistent player does him a disservice; he has been a brilliant performer throughout his career and done his body of work with minimal fanfare.

So where do these three living legends sit in history?

The verdict is in – all three are comfortably within the top 20 players in NBA history.

Nowitzki would sit somewhere between 15-20 and Duncan and Bryant are within the top 10 as arguably the best power forward and second-best shooting guard in NBA history.