Bron was being called the best player in the game when he wasn't playing defense. He didn't start playing defense until he saw Kobe turn into the doberman in 08 Olympics. Bron was already going into Y6 at that point. Bron didn't learn to play off the ball some until Miami. Consequently, him playing defense and learning to play off the ball concurrently is when he won a ring. It's not a coincidence.
kobe was the best player in the leauge