NBA News: The Next Kobe Bryant is … Kawhi Leonard?

Now that Kobe Bryant has announced his retirement, many would probably ask who could possibly get the throne and become the new face of NBA?

For Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has the big chance to take the floor. Leonard is a great offensive player. This season, his average is 22.2 points per game. His efficiency from the floor is 51.6 percent, the three point line is 47.1 percent and free throw line is 86 percent. In terms of defense, Mannix says Kawhi is the league's best perimeter defender. "Defense? Check. Offense? Check. A singular focus? Check, check, check," Mannix writes.

Leonard doesn't have much impressive statistics for now, but he believes that he fits to the mold of Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. He has the potential to develop into a two-way player type.

"At 24, Leonard already has a championship, a Finals MVP and is on his way to his first 20-point per game season. The search for the next player to fit the Jordan/Bryant/James mold ends with him," adds Mannix.

But for Tamir Barkan of Sportatistics Sportsblog, nobody should bother to ask who the next Kobe Bryant is. While he is a great player and a legend, the path he took was not original. He wanted to be Michael Jordan.

"Kobe is great. An all-time great," Barkan writes, "But his 'greatness' is not transcendent."

"You know you have changed the game, when people are yearning for 'the next you.' That is the definition of transcendent player," Barkan says.

Kobe Bryant last week announced his retirement via social media. He posted his poem titled "Dear Basketball" linked to the Players Tribune website (which reportedly crashed after his announcement).

The preview reads, "I'm ready to let you go. I want you to know now, so we both can savor every moment we have left together."