Kobe Bryant Says He Can Beat LeBron James One-On-One in His Sleep

Over the weekend, Kobe Bryant was in Lilian Baylis, London, for the opening of the London School of Basketball.

During a sit-down interview, Kobe took the time to answer some questions. One question, and Kobe's response to the posed question, has drawn some major attention.

Kobe was asked, "Who would normally win in a one-on-one between you and LeBron?"

"I win. I win. That's, that's what I do. One-on-one is, that's easy for me. Playing one-on-one is, that's how I grew up playing. That's like my thing. And Lebron is more like Magic Johnson, per say. He's a great passer and plays an all-around game. At the core of me, I'm a one-on-one player. That's, I do that in my sleep."

Now, I wouldn't put Kobe at his word and say he can beat LeBron in his sleep. A game of this magnitude would surely be a physical battle.

One thing is for sure—they would put on a show that people would kill to see.

Kobe Bryant has more moves at his disposal than Michael Jackson. Would that be enough, though?

Physically, Kobe cannot match up against LeBron. LeBron outweighs him by a substantial margin and has at least two inches on him.

However, LeBron may not even be able to take advantage of the physical disparity. LeBron can try and back Kobe down, but he doesn't really have much of a postgame. He can try and overpower Kobe while driving to the basket, but he has to get there first.

Kobe, on the other hand, has a deadly postgame and can wreak havoc down low. His shot is far more reliable and his turnaround fade-away is near impossible to defend. Kobe's pull-up jumper is also one of the best in the league.

LeBron will certainly have his hands full trying to cover "Black Mamba."

While LeBron is a good defender, he doesn't have the same defensive instincts Kobe has honed over his 14 years in the league. LeBron may eventually develop them, but he's not quite there yet.

His one-on-one defense doesn't rival that of Kobe either. LeBron tends to be at his best playing team defense and in transition when he goes for those chase-down blocks.

If Kobe settles for shooting jumpers and they aren't falling, then LeBron can take advantage and turn the tide in his favor. However, if Kobe's nailing jumpers in LeBron's face, the game will be over quickly.

Of course, that's a two-way street. If LeBron is hitting his jumpers, the game could easily go the other way. But at this point in their careers, LeBron is more of a slasher and will most likely try and use his size advantage as he drives to the hoop.

Kobe is right when he says that he's a one-on-one player at his core. You can see it with his killer instincts—something else LeBron hasn't quite yet developed.

LeBron has better rebounding numbers, but that may be mainly attributed to his size. In a one-on-one situation, it doesn't make a huge difference unless you're looking at offensive rebounding—an area that LeBron doesn't really have a significant advantage, so it's mostly a wash.

So, does LeBron have a shot at taking down Kobe? Well, this is just one of those debates that will continue to rage on, as the chances of seeing such an event actually take place are slim to none.

However, we can always speculate and dream.

Scenario:

• First to 21 wins, win by two
• Make it, take it
• Ones and twos are in play
• All applicable NBA rules apply

My prediction: Kobe over LeBron, 21-17

Who do you have having winning a game between the two and why?