In his 20 NBA seasons, Kobe Bryant has faced a number of brilliant players: vets near the end of their careers, such as Karl Malone and John Stockton; fellow stars who entered the league around his time, such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett; newer standouts such as Dwyane Wade and Stephen Curry.
None of those made his top five "toughest players to face" list. As relayed by our own Baxter Holmes, here it is:
Top five players Kobe says he has faced: Olajuwon, MJ, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Clyde Drexler. Adds that it's hard to pick just five.