Breaking Down the Biggest Player Rivalries in the NBA

My dad and uncle are both avid Los Angeles Lakers fans and when I was growing up, I would constantly hear them discuss the rivalry between Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird.  These two players were the best of their generation and carried their rivalry from their college days into their professional lives, facing off in the NBA Finals three times (the Lakers emerged victorious two out of three times). 

Today's generation of NBA players is no different.  In both conferences, certain players seem to play a bit harder against each other as though there is not just the game on the line, but personal pride.

One of the key player rivalries in today's NBA exists between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who rarely play against each other during the regular season but are both so uniquely skilled that watching them play against one another almost carries the same luster as a boxing match that would feature Muhammad Ali. 

Bryant is the experienced and talented scorer who can also play tough defense, while the younger James can simply do it all, but without the same wisdom his elder rival has accumulated over a long career.

Yet, as fun as this rivalry is to watch, it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how many player rivalries exist.

No. 5: Kobe Bryant vs. Kevin Durant

This rivalry was born this past season, as the younger Durant and elder Bryant battled for the league scoring title all season long.  In the end, the former Texas Longhorn beat the five-time NBA champion by just one-tenth of a point, as Bryant opted to sit out the final game of the season.

However, the competition between these two is deeper than just a scoring battle.  In 2012, Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder actually finished higher than Bryant's more experienced Lakers squad in the final standings, ranking second in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  On top of that, Oklahoma City would beat the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs en route to a spot in the NBA Finals.

Given how one team is so much younger than the other, it would appear that Durant slowly starting to outplay Bryant is a sort of changing of the guard.  However, seeing as how the Lakers acquired both Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this offseason, it seems as though Kobe isn't quite ready to give up the fight just yet.

No. 4: Kobe Bryant vs. Tim Duncan

I like to think of the 34-year-old Bryant and the 36-year-old Duncan as the elder statesmen of the Western Conference, and if you look at their career accolades they are essentially the same.  Bryant has 14 All-Star appearances to Duncan's 13, while Duncan has two MVP trophies to Bryant's one.  Both players have also been named to multiple NBA All-Defensive First Teams.

However, though both fine players for their respective teams, Bryant and Duncan have a longstanding rivalry.  Bryant's Lakers and Duncan's San Antonio Spurs often go up against each other in the standings and in the playoffs, so at this point the rivalry is all about rings.  Bryant has the advantage there, with five to Duncan's four.

Given how Duncan just signed a new three-year contract and his Spurs continue to be one of the best teams in the NBA despite their growing age, this battle could very well get more interesting fairly soon.

No. 3: LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant

Here we have another rivalry that was born last season, as Durant and James faced off against each other in the NBA Finals.  It was James' third trip there as he continued his quest for his first championship ring.  In Durant's case, he was the leader of a team that has done nothing but improve the past few years, and appearing in the Finals only further cemented his status as a future NBA legend.

Sure enough, Durant and his teammates won Game 1 and it seemed as though their depth and versatility would be able to outclass James and the dangerous Miami Heat.  Unfortunately for them, such was not to be as Miami won the next four games.

Some would think that Durant would simply get back on the horse and look toward next season, but that's not what happened.  In what some would call a cruel twist of fate, he and James both went to London to represent the United States at the Summer Olympics and the three-time scoring champion admitted that he was a little bitter about having to share the court with the man who denied him a championship ring.

That said, this coming season just got a whole lot more interesting now that Durant could potentially go into overdrive mode as he probably wants to best James more than anything, both during the regular season and in the playoffs.

No. 2: Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James

This is a player rivalry that is not one of the most intense in the league, but it's one that fans love to discuss.  Ever since he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, basketball fans have dreamed of an NBA Finals that would pit LeBron James against Kobe Bryant in the battle of youth vs. experience.

Fans almost got their wish in 2009, as the Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.  Sadly, James' Cleveland Cavaliers were defeated by the Orlando Magic in the East finals and the dream championship series was dead.

However, the LeBron-Kobe rivalry continues to be played up, as games between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers get plenty of attention and fans tune in by any means necessary.  Now that James has a ring to brag about and both teams have had busy offseasons, perhaps it's time to start taking this rivalry a bit more seriously.

No. 1: LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony

Allow me to take you back to the summer of 2010, when LeBron James became a free agent and fans dropped everything to see where he would end up playing.  New York Knicks fans (myself included) were bubbling with anticipation over the fact that James decided to announce his "decision" in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, and that for the first time in a decade, their team would no longer be associated with losing and bad decision-making.

Yet, James chose to sign with the Miami Heat and in a classic case of New Yorkers being fickle, Knicks fans turned their affections to Carmelo Anthony, set to hit free agency in the summer of 2011.  Sure enough, team management noticed and traded for the former Syracuse star close to the trade deadline.  In one of his first games with the team, Anthony and the Knicks actually beat James and the Heat.

Still, as a whole, James has looked like the better player since Anthony was traded to New York, as Miami has just dominated all competition, for the most part.  This year, however, things could change.

Shortly after Miami won the NBA Finals this year, Anthony came out and stated that he too would soon join James among the elite players with rings on their resume.  In fact, his words were "my time is coming."

Simply put, Anthony has the fire in his belly, something that Knicks fans have wanted to see ever since he was brought to the Big Apple.  With a great supporting cast behind him this season, expect this rivalry to be the hit of the 2012-13 campaign.