This is where it gets really, really hard. I could see very compelling arguments for Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, and Oscar and I can't really criticize anybody for choosing any of these 4. I freaking love Tim Duncan (his WF jersey was the first jersey I ever owned) and if I had to show my kid just one NBA player to model it's Duncan. He also was so good for so long. Oscar's stats are incredible, of course, and he dominated his area for quite awhile. Shaq in his prime may have been the most single-game dominant players we have ever seen aside from Jordan or Wilt.
But, despite the advanced stats arguably not justifying the choice, and I freely admit my analysis is purely subjective (though I don't think I'm influenced by his death), I go Kobe here for his sheer drive to win. I love the stories about him and his work ethic, and if I were playing a pickup game there's no opponent I'd less want to see on the other team than Kobe (besides Jordan, of course). He's also got the titles to support being a top ten ever and he played in a strong era.