Kobe Bryant is having the best season of his career, leading his new three seven-footer death squad to championship contention.
LeBron James is also having the best season of his career, leading more of a dead squad to playoff dreams. Both are widely regarded as the two best players in the league.
The debate is passionate if you read the dozens of articles regarding the subject.
Should Kobe win the MVP award? To be honest, I wouldn’t be outraged if it happened to be the case, but when it comes to the best start to a career, I’ll take LeBron over Kobe for what he’s accomplished so far.
Don’t get me wrong, Kobe Bryant is a unique player, one who will leave his print on NBA’s history like few players ever did.
At age 30, he’s got three rings and hundreds of incredible plays you can watch over and over again on YouTube. When he’s on a roll he’s the closest thing there is or ever was to basketball perfection (let’s pretend for a second that MJ never existed).
Here’s a guy who once scored 55 points in a half, scored 40 nine straight times, 63 points sitting out in the fourth, was the youngest to reach 10,000 points up until a few weeks ago.
I still think that if you take a look at his entire (great) career LeBron is way ahead so far in terms of maturity, leadership, and reveled genius.
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If I were to put on my Kobe-hater Halloween costume for just a moment, I’d say that Kobe is a 45 percent all time shooter (not great), 34 percent all time three point shooter (not good), spent his first two years in the NBA learning how to become a basketball genius averaging just 12 points a game. He heated up in his third season but still missed 32 games due to injury. We tend to forget his last second air balls during some playoff games in his younger days.
For a long time, Kobe was feared by opponents for his great plays but also by his coaches for his ill-advised and sometimes selfish decisions. His selfish behavior could have been voiced over in Spanish for a Mexican Telenovela. Whether it’s been Shaq, Phil Jackson, his teammates, or the Lakers president, many feuds have surrounded Bryant's heated and self-centered personality.
Some say he reacts such a way because he hates losing and will do anything to better his team. Maybe so. LeBron feels the same about winning, but shows it differently, more quietly, and maybe more efficiently. Kobe’s a winner so far this season but has been a frustrated first round playoff series loser for several years.
Don’t get me wrong, over the years he gradually climbed the ladder of brilliance. What has he become? Nothing less than a historical player who’s now well equipped to finish his great career with a championship.
Nevertheless and as great as Kobe has become, LeBron will surpass him by far if he hasn't already. When it comes to trajectory and future potential, LeBron James gets the winning statue, by a 1,000 votes to one.
Unlike Kobe, James’ impact on the league has been of tremendous proportions in a very short time and there seems to be no limit as to what he can become or accomplish in the next few years, a time when Kobe’s star will be starting to fade.
All the new qualities we now find in Kobe Bryant such as leadership, unselfishness, and brilliant play are the qualities which have been characterizing LeBron James’ game since he first set foot on an NBA court at age 18.
The scary aspect of his personality is his willingness to get better not only as an individual player, but also as a teammate. It took 10 years for Kobe to really get it. LeBron was born with it.
Some critics will remember the four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA Finals, but not the fact that a 22-year-old wonder put a mediocre team on his shoulders en route to the final stage of the basketball season.
Kobe was in the finals at that same age also but not to take away his credit, it’s also nice to have a 28-year-old Shaquille O'Neal by your side.
Just ask yoursef this question: would you take a 23-year-old Kobe over a 23-year-old James to start a franchise?
Both of these incredible players are having the best year of their career, but one is 30 and the other 23.
Easier now? Which one do you pick?
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5 months ago
A 23-year old Kobe once averaged over 40 points over the course of a month. He averaged 30pts/7reb/6ast which isn't far off what LeBron is doing right now.
It'd be a very hard choice picking between the two if they were the same age.
5 months ago
I think kobe will have a better carrer because he has a better jump shot and agility and has a killer instient and i dont think u can teach that u develop that by going through advesety and we all no what kobe went through and had to over come it and he did with everyone judging him and hating on him like thay never made a bad mistake before. not to say what he did was right but he still came out to play like none of his critics imagined going through such advrsety.
5 months ago
Lebron by a mile. He is better now and if you compare the same age, its even more distance.
5 months ago
23 year old kobe played with shaq. People forget how young kobe was when the lakers were winning. At 23 he won his third championship, was 1st team all nba, and first team defense. You can't compare the numbers because of circumstance. It was a gamble to take players out of highschool back then no matter how good they were. Kobe came to the sixers camp as an 11th grader and beat everyone on their team. Had it been like when Lebron came out kobe would have went to the sixers no.1 and would own almost every scoring record wilt didn't have. you simply can't compare because we don't know what kobe would have done if he was the no.1 option. by the way kobe scored 20000 points.
5 months ago
definitely 23 year old kobe. kobe has always had more talent than lebron, just not the size and strength lebron has. if kobe had been drafted to a bad team like jordan and lebron were, kobe would be owning all scoring records and be the fastest to any scoring milestone. but instead of staying with a really bad hornets, where if he had stayed he definitely would be the focal point like jordan and lebron, he went to the lakers that had shaq and tons of other proven veterans, so he spent his first 2 seasons as a bench player even though he was obviously more talented than anyone on the team.
look at it this way- no one is going to think kevin durant is better than kobe, but durant, just like jordan and lebron again, was drafted to a really bad team, so he is now the focal point of the team. so not surprisingly he's averaging close to 20 points, much more than kobe's rookie year average. so as you can see, durant's "better" stats don't mean he's better than kobe. the situation of each player's rookie team heavily affects a player's production, regardless of his actual talents. the different between kobe's early years and lebron's early stats are incomparable for this very reason, but by looking at what they were able to do on the court, kobe at 23 was still way better than lebron now
from 5 months ago
perfect. i agree with u
5 months ago
great insight anonymous: back then it was a HUGE gamble to pick a high school player because historically the league was cautious about picking non-collegiate players. moses malone was the only successful high school rookie over 30 years ago, but for 20 years after that the nba never went with high schoolers until garnett was drafted. that was the beginning of the high-school draft trend so teams were still very cautious; it wasn't until the 2000 that the nba became more proactive with high schoolers (although controversy still existed, which lead to the ban on high schoolers after 2005). this is why kobe was drafted lower in 1996 than he would have been in, say, the 2000's.
factor this in with the guy above me and you see why 23 year old kobe is more crazy skilled than lebron now, although you'd be crazy to say lebron is not a good player.
5 months ago
oops i meant to say "great insight darrell" i thought you were an anonymous person too
5 months ago
Jean, looks like others have talked about some important things in the comments, so i just wanna differ on one thing that you said which is you say lebron is a genius while kobe spent 2 years "developing" his genius. the truth is that kobe was a genius even before setting a foot in the nba, and for reasons other people have already said, was not allowed to display it full force. the real genius is kobe, where no one can rival his creativity and skills. lebron's not really a basketball genius, but he is a freak of nature who knows how to use his physical strength and size to his advantage. this is why lebron has a "better" fg%, since he's a forward and 90% of his shots literally come from dunks or layups, while kobe is a perimeter player (who can also drive it in exceptionally, but not with strength and size like lebron) so his fg% is just right.
and kobe has guts: although he made those airballs, the coach at that time said NO ONE except for kobe had the guts to take that lost shot. shows what kind of assassin he would evolve in to. it's not the airballs he made as a rookie, but all the rest of the clutch shots he made after that point in his career. (and lebron airballed freethrows, TWICE. that's more embarrassing than a 30ft jumpshot with defenders in your face)
lastly, you say lebron "carried" his team to the finals and also that "it helped kobe to have shaq around", but you easily (or purposefully?) forget the path lebron took the finals. i can say that it definitely helps when your first round team doesn't have their 2 best players and the nets are an outrageously over rated team (not to mention that the cavs play in the embarrassing east). lebron did have one great game 5, but it was gibson who closed it out in game 6. realistically, if lebron had played the suns the last 2 years, they would have never made it out of the first round in the west.
nice start for an article but you ultimately miss hitting the nail on the head
5 months ago
Why do people not realize that Lebron is not the "leader" and "great person" the media makes him out to be? He has thrown his team mates under the bus many times (not as blatantly as Kobe, but implicitly, which is still no less definitive) and he is selfish, a ball hog, only cares about his stats and his marketing ability (being the first billionaire athlete), blatantly rejects humanitarian opportunities, etc.
I seriously don't care about any of these negative aspects of lebron, I only care about his game. the reason why I mention it, and the ONLY reason why I do, is because kobe gets criticized for the same thing lebron does. Is that justice? Both players should be criticized for the same things, not just one. The media and the nba need to stop covering up for Lebron's less than stellar personality.
5 months ago
Why do people not realize that Lebron is not the "leader" and "great person" the media makes him out to be? He has thrown his team mates under the bus many times (not as blatantly as Kobe, but implicitly, which is still no less definitive) and he is selfish, a ball hog, only cares about his stats and his marketing ability (being the first billionaire athlete), blatantly rejects humanitarian opportunities, etc.
I seriously don't care about any of these negative aspects of lebron, I only care about his game. the reason why I mention it, and the ONLY reason why I do, is because kobe gets criticized for the same thing lebron does. Is that justice? Both players should be criticized for the same things, not just one. The media and the nba need to stop covering up for Lebron's less than stellar personality.
5 months ago
I gotta be honest. This is a pretty stupid debate. LeBron wouldn't be able to do what he's doing if not for Kobe. Had Kobe not had the success he had coming straight from high school then guys like McGrady, Monta Ellis and LeBron never would have been able to make the jump straight from high school. Kobe deserves more credit for LeBron than KG because KG is a big. A team will always take a chance on a big because you can't teach size. If Kobe would have been a bust no other swing player would have the balls to make the jump. Even if KG had been a bust teams would still take a chance on a Jermaine O'Neal, Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown or Tyson Chandler.
LeBron's size is scary. But he has no mid-range game, an inconsistent 3 point shot, and he's only now starting to develop into a defensive player. He relies on power. Kobe relied on athleticism. When Kobe aged he developed into the best all-around player since MJ. It'll be interesting to see what happens to LeBron as he gets older and his body takes a pounding. LeBron will be scary good. But let's see who is better at 29.
Kobe's played 847 regular season games and 131 playoff games. Let's judge them after LeBron hits 978 games played. Let's see where LeBron's at after playing through 4 rounds of playoffs and 4 Finals series. Maybe LeBron will take his game to the Western Conference where real men play.
Had Kobe been a starter straight out of high school like LeBron he would have developed more rapidly. He only started 57 of his first 200 games as a pro. He didn't start in a playoff game until his third year in the league. LeBron has started in 373 of his 374 career games and all 33 of his playoff games.
5 months ago
of course kobe he is the best player in the game, but there will always be haters comparing him to players they like, oh yea lebron can't shoot haha
5 months ago
Its so OBVIOUS how much better Lebron is than Kobe. I truly do not understand the love for Kobe. He's selfish, and cannot win without Shaq.
Compare Lebron's numbers to Kobe at the same ago - hell, compare them now. Compare the talent, and Lebron is miles better than Kobe.
Lebron will easily win the MVP this year. Kobe fans, you're history, as is your selfish hero, Kobe.
The NBA is now Lebron country. Sorry, kobe is history, a footnote of a once great team.
hahahahaha. your hero is so done for.
5 months ago
Its so OBVIOUS how much better Kobe is than Lebron. I truly do not understand the love for Lebron. He's selfish and arrogant. Shaq can not win with a good wingman like Kobe or Wade.
You're an idiot. If you had spent the time to read any of the comments above from smarter people than you, you wouldn't even be saying crazy shit like "Compare Lebron's numbers to Kobe at the same ago - hell, compare them now. Compare the talent, and Lebron is miles better than Kobe."
To the media, the NBA is Lebron's country. To the players, coaches, and GM's it's Kobe's universe. What do you think is worth more? The players who know how to judge another player's skill and talent, or a bunch of media wussies who praise Lebron as the "Chosen One"?
You're just jealous Kobe has a trillion times more talent in his pinkie than in Lebron's entire freakish body. I know you know that Lebron is nothing but size and strength and Kobe is all talent and skill.
Even if Lebron wins the MVP, the award no longer means anything when the world's best player, Kobe, was robbed of it 3 years in a row, and the media (who votes for the MVP, not the players) hypocrisy will be revealed full force.
hahahahahhaha
5 months ago
correction: "broken pinkie"
hhahahhaahahah
5 months ago
Seriously. Has anyone who thinks Kobe is better than LeBron actually watched these two go head to head anytime in the last two years, including the two time LeBron outplayed him this year? At 23 years old, LeBron has been taking Kobe to Basketball Skool when they match up. The really funny thing is that you can tell Kobe is intimidated by LeBron. You can see it in his eyes. Like the last time they played when LeBron stop Kobe dead in his tracks on D and then drilled the game winning shot in Kobe's face...
These debates about Kobe vs. LeBron will seem quite foolish in a few more years.
5 months ago
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
All Kobe fans fear the greatness of LeBron. We are all witnesses.
5 months ago
The way lebron has been playing those past couple of weeks. He is simply no match for anybody in the league right now. He's definitely taking matters into his own hands in order to push past adversity in the east and reach a confortable spot come playoff time. He's been shooting threes like free throws. Kobe is impressive this season but the loss against Sacramento is a bit of a scare for what might come in the playoffs ( 1 point in the fourth). Man , I don't know part of me wants Kobe to be better ( i've been a fan for such a long time) but when I see lebon on a basketball court, he's just unstoppable, does things you can't even dream of doing and is so consistent ( just had his 7th triple double of the season). I don't know...
5 months ago
I understand some of the points stated above. It is true that Kobe wasn't used fully in his first three years but it is precisely my point: If he wasn't much used in his early years it's because he wasn't ready (or at least not as ready as Lebron). Do you really think his coach would seat him out without a reason?? Because he has other good players on his team?? Because the league was being cautious with high schoolers entering the NBA? My opinion is that he was an immature incredible talent but still...immature. Remember it's not a critic over Kobe whom I truly respect but simple facts I'm trying to put on the table. Was Kobe considered a potential MVP when he was 23 as much as Lebron is being right now? Even 24 or 25.. No, he wasn't period. The Kobe of the last 3 or 4 years has been magical but he's been in the league for what? 11 seasons? Who's is the better player right is an endless debate which i don't want to get into.
My article was about early maturity and future potential and I stick to what I've said: Lebron over Kobe.
5 months ago
Jean, of course Lebron would have been benched as a rookie on the Lakers, and of course Kobe would have been in the mvp discussion at 23 if he were in Cleveland where he would be the only spotlight in the entire team instead of sharing it with one of the most dominant centers in history. Don't let your love for Lebron deny the facts. The fact that you consider Lebron "mature" is extremely laughable.
To anonymous, dang I didn't know Lebron never had a bad game. Not. Get real, everyone has bad games including Jordan, so don't pretend Lebron's only had only great games this season or the past several weeks. Lebron's a streak shooter...what does that tell you? Every player, even the bad ones, will have their moments of shooting really well. Wow! They must be better than Kobe! And you say adversity? thanks for remembering Kobe single handedly face adversity and taking the Lakers to the playoffs in the western conference when they obviously had no chance. THAT's adversity.
Jonathan, drilled it in Kobe's face? Did you watch the game, Kobe wasn't even defending Lebron because he thought Lebron was gonna drive it in like he normally does instead of a jumpshot. Everyone knows Lebron's jumpshot sucks, so Kobe was gambling on the surer thing- a drive; but this time it happened to go in- congratulations. Funny thing is, Lebron didn't even get doubled or tripled there, while Kobe got tripled and his team mates bungled up the play. Carmelo has owned Lebron so many times. He has a 8-2 record and has shut down Lebron so many times. WOW! Carmelo must "own" Lebron! What a pathetic "argument" for thinking someone is a better player.
You're right, the Kobe Lebron argument is gonna get silly in a few years when people realize what a fake Lebron is.
5 months ago
LeBoner fears Kobe
Kobe owns LeBoner
LeBoner won't surpass Kobe but Kobe has always been right behind Jordan
All LeBoner fans are jealous of Kobe. We are all witness to the LeBoner hype.
5 months ago
jean it's ur opinion so thats fine, but i honestly think that analyzing the context and the history of the game will help u understand who really had the better early years. the fact that garnett and kobe was literally the beginning of the high school era is a legit fact for team's not using them. if it weren't for kobe being a legendary success who knows what today's landscape might look like? heck, kobe was the first guard in history to be drafted out of high school, and that is a huge gamble in itself, unlike big men like garnett.
u say that kobe's "immaturity" was a reason y he wasn't a starter. maybe, maybe not. but the central, obvious reason was that the lakers had all stars van exel and eddie jones ahead of kobe in the guard position; again, y gamble when it's not even necessary? lebron came to a team with nothing: whether the team wanted to gamble or not, they had no choice cuz there was no one but lebron, so of course he started. do u honestly think lebron would have started when u have the most dominant center shaq and all stars nick and eddie, and solid players in elden campbell and robert horry? hogwash. lebron was just thrown into the fire whether he was immature or not because he went to a crappy team, while kobe came to a team that already had a set system and was already a playoff contender. kobe wasn't benched for "no reason" like u say- there definitely was a reason, and the main reason wasn't cuz of his "supposed" immaturity. had kobe gone to the cavs like lebron (or stayed on the hornets) kobe would have blown away so many records while being the main man.
make no mistake, i seriously believe lebron is an awesome player. i just think he's a different kind of player than kobe, one who's not really a basketball player but rather something of a physical football player. kobe is a pure basketball genius.
5 months ago
Actually Kobe finished 2nd in MVP voting in '02-03 at age 23. So yes, he was considered. I think you forget how talented Kobe was, even back then.
5 months ago
You are so on the ball. Great comparison my friend!
5 months ago
You are so on Lebron's ball. Great cock sucking my friend!
5 months ago
lol daaamn this man is on lebrons balls. oo and f.y.i lebrons hogs the ball to its juss no one every realize that every cavaliers possesion lebron has the ball 99.9% of the time and for a majority of time but since hes the great lebron no one care to notice. get off lebrons sack
5 months ago
It's funny that after these last two Cavs' losses, this message board has had nothing but crickets. You could hear a pin drop. My favorite has to be Anonymous' quote that "Kobe is impressive this season but the loss against Sacramento is a bit of a scare". If that loss was scary what do you think of LeBron's losses to the Wizards and Nets?
5 months ago
lol thank you andrew. i realize ppl are juss waiting for kobe to slip up but if lebron does it no one notices
5 months ago
typical lebron protection...every wrong thing lebron does no one notices, ignores it, or sweeps it under the rug and pretends it never happened, but one slip by kobe and he's the worst player in the world. fuck the nba, fuck nike, fuck espn for all their lebron hype
5 months ago
you know what you should write in your blog or whatever its called, which players did lebron and kobe made better. to think about it lebron never made any player better in fact he made larry hughes worst and kobe hmmm andrew bynum sasha vujuchic jordan farmar etc...
4 months ago
lebron was more mature as a 18 year old boy he averaged 21 ppg 6reb and 6 assits kobe would defintnly not do that no matter if he was drafted by the hornets or cavs or anybody who wasnt good. second year lebron got 27 7 and 7 while kobe was still not playin. even when shack left the year after kobe only averaged like 27 5 and 4 and the whole team was to him self he was in the spotlight just like lebron is now and he didnt do better than him even tho he was older than lebron is now in lebron's 3rd year he got 31 ppg 7 reb and 6 assits kobe would never in his life get those number not this year next or the next. and this year lebron has 31 8 and 7 and kobe is at 28 6 and 5 no where near lebron.
i give to him his best season was when he did 25 ppg 5 reb and 4 assits
and lebron is cluth kobe takes game winning shots lebron does game winning layup this year he has been so clutch with game winner against blazer lakers and many more and even if its not a game winner in the 4th quarter when it matter lebron is averaging the mostt ppg in 4 th quarter
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