Kobe Bryant Stands Alone Defending LeBron James' Honor

Kobe Bryant doesn't have to take a side in the battle of "who would you rather play with" between him and LeBron James. That is one of the perks of being Kobe Bryant.

But when asked whom he would pick to play with, the five-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP actually picked the self-proclaimed "King."

Kobe was on the "Max and Marcellus Show" on ESPN Radio 710 in Los Angeles and said:

"

It's a tough question because I've played with a lot of great players being on the Olympic team. I think that the player I would probably play with the most where the pieces would fit would be myself and LeBron [James], believe it or not, because he's more of a facilitator and I'm more of a scorer. ... He's a modern version of what Oscar [Robertson] was. He just puts up genius numbers.

"

This is hardly a shocking development.

When asked the question of whom he'd rather play with, Larry Bird said he'd play with Kobe if he wanted to win, but if he'd play with LeBron if he wanted to have fun.

This brings us back, once again, to the ring debate. Kobe has five while LeBron only has, well, none.

Kobe has won two rings on his own without Shaquille O'Neal, so there is no denying his legacy whatsoever.

LeBron, meanwhile, is a selfless teammate on the court, but comes up short in big moments like an arrow from an archer too terrified to pull the string.

There is one thing we know in this debate: LeBron is not Kobe. He simply doesn't have that killer instinct like Jordan, Kobe or even his teammate Dwyane Wade. That cutthroat mentality simply isn't who LeBron James is.

Fortunately for Kobe, that is something he doesn't have to worry about that. LeBron James would be the perfect teammate for Kobe—too bad we'll never get to see it in the NBA.