Now that Kobe Bryant has finally established himself as the best player in the world, period, who’ll carry the torch once he’s done?

The only thing constant in the NBA is change and we all know that once Kobe Bryant is done, there’ll be another guy who’ll be carrying the sport by his shoulders while the rest of us start proclaiming that guy as the new king of the sport. Unless, of course, you’re still stuck in the past, masturbating over Michael Jordan.

When Kobe Bryant leaves the game of basketball, which everybody knows will take some time before he does that, who will follow his footsteps and be named as the next best thing in the NBA? Well, we already have the usual suspects in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These guys are already ”Kobe-esque” at this point of their careers. It’s just a question on how long can both guys keep playing at this level.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have already proven that they are among the elite players in the league. Wade has already won a championship ring with the Miami Heat back in 2006 with Shaquille O’Neal while LeBron James has already won the best single accolade an NBA player can get, winning the MVP trophy last season.

Any of these guys can carry the torch after Kobe Bryant and the NBA is definitely in good hands. We also have others ready to carry the torch if neither James nor Wade can. Take Kevin Durant for instance. Durant, as a college player, averaged 25.8 ppg (first in Big 12, fourth in the nation), 11.1 rpg and 1.9 bpg in 35 games. He also averaged 28.9 ppg and 12.5 rpg in conference play, both Big 12 single-season records for league games. The boy from Maryland scored 20-plus points 30 times and posted 30-plus points 11 times. He recorded 20 double-doubles and tallied a career-high 37 points on four occasions.

His skill level at this stage has already been compared to the likes of Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady. And mind you, he’s just getting started.

Then we have Brandon Roy of the Portland Trailblazers. This guy might have been the most complete player in college basketball back in 2005. He has great height, length and athleticism for the guard position. He did not play the point for Washington, but that may be his best position at the next level.

If you’re not excited about the future then you must be dead.

Which team will win the 2010 NBA Finals? SPORTSBETTING.COM has the early odds.

Los Angeles Lakers 5-2

Orlando Magic 7-1

Boston Celtics 5-1

Denver Nuggets 12-1

Want more odds? Visit SPORTSBETTING.com for more basketball betting odds. Want to watch the NBA live? Get NBA tickets online now.

Kobe Bryant LeBron James