(2,v, 77, Twelfth Night.)

What makes a great basketball player? The National Basketball Association (NBA) consists of many talented players, all of whom have the potential to become great. Among the prolific scorers, towering shot blockers, diligent rebounders, and creative passers, none is more deserving for the title of "great player" than Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Both players have developed their skills very quickly and have emerged as the NBA's brightest stars. Though each player covets the title, Carter is more likely to become the next basketball great. His leadership qualities, solid defense, and offensive prowess make his basketball skills superior to those of Kobe Bryant.

Great basketball players are often characterized as great leaders. There is no doubt in Toronto who the team leader is. Vince Carter's presence in Toronto has made basketball popular in Canada and has improved the team's performance. In every year since Carter's inaugural season, the Raptor's record has improved noticeably.

he will never be as great a leader as Vince Carter is.

(http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/VinceCarter15/ss.html)

When a young player takes on the role of a leader, his desire to win grows immensely, and many coaches agree that it is defence that will win games. Vince Carter is one of the best defensive players in the league. His long arms and extraordinary athleticism allow him to match up with any shooting guard and most forwards. In today's NBA, it is quite rare to see a shooting guard defending a forward but what Carter lacks in size, he makes up for in quickness. His defensive numbers are quite surprising considering the fact he is not known as a defensive player. Carter amasses an average of 3.70 defensive rebounds per game, 1.33 steals per game and 1.15 blocks per game. (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/vince_carter/career_statistics.html?nav=TextNavBar) It should also be noted that Carter must defend against players five inches taller than he and that there is no other intimidating presence on the floor to back up Carter on defence. Carter's counterpart, Kobe Bryant, averages!

Alleyoop Network. "Quotes." The Kobe Bryant Zone. http://www.alleyoop.org/kobe/quotes, 1996

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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)