LeBron's Early Years Better than Kobe's

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. 

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.