Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James: Breaking Down and Comparing Their Games
The battle of Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James has been raging on since the beginning of time.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but the fact remains that LeBron vs. Kobe is always a hot topic in the NBA.
We here at Bleacher Report have decided that is about time to put an end to this debate and settle this argument once and for all.
I have been given the monumental task of breaking down and comparing the games of these two superstars and assigning grades to various parts of their games.
At the end, I averaged out the grades I have given them and concluded who is the better of the two players.
Instead of ending the debate, I feel that this might spark more of it, but nonetheless, here is a break down and comparison between Kobe and LeBron:
Scoring Ability: Kobe Bryant
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Hands down, Kobe has to be considered one of the greatest scorers of all-time.
He is the youngest player ever to score 15,000 to 20,000 as well as 23,000 to 25,000 career points.
He won the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 scoring titles. He averaged 35.4 points per game in 2005, which is the eigth highest scoring average of all-time and passed Bob McAdoo for the seventh best scoring season of all time with 2,832 points
He is the Lakers all-time leading scorer, which is saying a lot, and ranks No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
His point per game average hasn’t been below 20 since 1999, and even then, it was at 19.9. He has 27,628 total points in his career so far, and you would have to assume that he still has another three to five years left at least to add to that total.
It would be hard to talk about Kobe’s scoring ability without mentioning the epic 81 point game that he had in Toronto back in 2006. Years later, he is still making it rain from all over the court. He is averaging 25.2 points per game in 2011.
Honestly, there are times when it seems like the man doesn’t know how to miss. You know, when he gets that fire in his eyes and that mean look on his face.
The Black Mamba is one of the best scorers of all-time
Grade: A+
Scoring Ability: LeBron James
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When it comes to scoring ability, LeBron is no slouch.
He is averaging 27.8 points per game in his seven years in the NBA and already has accumulated 17,191 total points.
There hasn’t been a year that he has averaged less than 20 points per game, and his best year came in 2005-2006 in Cleveland, where he averaged 31.4 points a game.
He is the Cavaliers all-time regular season leader in points scored, scoring average, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, three-pointers attempted, steals, triple doubles and minutes.
LeBron is averaging 26.6 points a game with the Heat this year.
What makes James so dangerous is his ability to hurt you from any place on the court, but most effectively in the paint and on the fast break.
He can get down the court faster than most players on the fast break and is almost unstoppable once he gets into the paint.
He uses his bulk and frame to his advantage when attacking the rim, but he can also score from the outside as well, though not as consistently.
Grade: A-
Pure Shooting: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe has one of the purest shots in the NBA, and he can execute it in a variety of different ways.
From long range, he has perfected the art of shooting from the triple-threat position. He faces a defender up, gives them a quick and strong jab step and elevates straight up for the jumper.
He has also perfected the pull up jumper and a variety of pump fakes. Of course, there is Kobe’s signature falling away baseline jumper as well.
His form is tremendous and definitely note worthy. His arms stay straight up and he releases at the apex of his shot with a smooth follow through, hold optional for effect.
Grade: A+
Pure Shooting: LeBron James
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LeBron has a great shot there can be no doubt about it, but to say that he has a great pure shot would be false
James is the most productive when he is driving to the basket or on the fast break, and to be honest, he is the best when shooting from mid-range.
That being said, LeBron can hit from anywhere on the court when he gets hot and his range is very deep.
All in all, is LeBron a great shooter? Yes.
But is he what I would consider an awesome pure shooter?
No.
Grade: B+
Ball Handling: Kobe Bryant
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As far as handling the ball is concerned, Kobe has a variety of basic moves that he uses to perfection.
I wouldn’t call him a flashy ball handler, but he takes the fundamental ball handling techniques and moves and does them better than most.
Kobe knows how to get himself open, that is for sure.
A lot of what Kobe does with the ball comes in the air when he is attacking the basket. How many times have we seen him scoop under the basket for an acrobatic double clutch reverse layup?
Where he really gets a lot of his burst is from that first step on the dribble drive to the basket. There is probably nobody better in the league scoring off the dribble.
Grade: A-
Ball Handling: LeBron James
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LeBron is another case of extremely fundamental ball handling, but he doesn’t necessarily go out there and do anything flashy.
He is one of the best at dribbling on the fast break, though, and he seems to be able to weave his way through any amount of traffic to get to the basket.
The move that LeBron utilizes the best in the half-court game is the crossover. When one on one with a defender, he starts dribbling backwards a bit to create space and make you think shot. Then he will quickly fake one way and cross hard on you the opposite direction.
He is so big and fast that he normally can get by you before you even know what has happened to you, and that move is the origin of a lot of those monster dunks straight through the paint that we see from him.
Grade: A
Passing: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe is so good at passing that he makes it seem natural and easy.
So much of Kobe’s passing ability comes from his penetration into the paint. He has incredible vision that helps him pass out of double teams, but his greatest strength in the passing game is off the drive.
We watched Shaq benefit from Kobe’s penetration for years, and now Pau Gasol finds himself on the receiving end of some amazing passes for easy looks.
Bryant has mastered the no-look pass and the behind the back pass.
The best way I can describe his passing is that it is like watching somebody breathe.
You know that it is happening, and when you really break it down, it truly is a thing of beauty, but it’s become such a natural thing that we aren’t even surprised or shocked by it.
The same can be said of Kobe.
It’s just expected.
Grade: A+
Passing: LeBron James
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When it comes to passing, LeBron is on an equal plain with Kobe, if not better.
The threat of him driving and taking it to the hole on you is so great that there is almost always one, if not two players open every time he takes it to the rack.
One of LeBron’s most effective passes is so fundamental and simple, but it’s so underrated when it comes to highlights and what people look for when they watch basketball.
LeBron James may not be “The King”, but he is the king of the pass out.
When he drives to the basket, especially in late game situations, it seems like every member of the defense is crashing to the middle and that usually leaves one or two shooters open on the perimeter.
For being such a high caliber elite player, he is actually incredibly unselfish when it comes to passing the basketball, and he always seems to have a knack for finding open players.
He has a way of making the guys around him better with his passing.
Grade: A+
Rebounding: Kobe Bryant
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Bryant is a good rebounder considering all the other things that he is great at on the floor.
The way that I see it, though, is that Kobe is not on the floor to be the guy making all the big rebounds for you, and especially in a Lakers organization that has always had great big men down low.
He’s averaged 5.3 rebounds throughout his career, which is not too bad.
All I’m saying is that when I think of Kobe Bryant, I don’t think of a big rebound guy.
Grade: B
Rebounding: LeBron James
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LeBron has been known to go up strong to get a rebound or two in his day, and for the position that he plays, he can be rather impressive when it comes to rebounding.
Just like with Kobe, though, I don’t necessarily think of LeBron as the big rebound guy in the league.
He has the strength and size to hold his own down low, and he’s not afraid to go up for the ball.
He’s averaged 7.1 rebounds a game in his seven NBA years, which is impressive.
Grade: A
Free Throws: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe is 84 percent from the charity stripe during his long illustrious career.
Just like the numbers suggest, he will miss one every now and then, but you can tell that he is never too happy about that.
He has a good calm approach at the line and is never fazed by the pressure of the moment.
Bryant excels at shooting free throws when it comes down to crunch time.
Grade: A-
Free Throws: LeBron James
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LeBron is a 74 percent career free throw shooter.
There are nights where he looks very comfortable on the line and others where you can tell that he is rattled.
He’s also been somewhat inconsistent when it comes down to clutch free throws at the end of games.
I’m not saying that he is bad, but I am saying that I’m sure fans aren’t feeling 100 percent confident that he’s going to knock down two to ice the game.
Grade: C
Attacking the Rim: Kobe Bryant
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As I’ve mentioned before, Kobe Bryant is incredibly quick off the dribble, so he often finds himself at the rim in no time, and he usually comes through.
Kobe is famous for blowing by a defender and coming around the opposite side of the rim with the double clutch reverse layup. He is also always a threat to go up strong with the reverse jam.
If Kobe wants to dunk and you are in his way, chances are that you will end up looking real silly on a poster in some kids room, or he will draw a foul.
Either way, he still made you look silly.
Grade: A
Attacking the Rim: LeBron James
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This is the one part of LeBron’s games that nobody in the NBA can touch.
LeBron is hands down the best at attacking and finishing at the rim.
How many times have you turned on the TV just in time to watch LeBron run down the court in the blink of an eye, take off from seemingly the free throw line and throw in down with that one hand tomahawk dunk of his.
The only weakness that I see in LeBron when he is attacking the rim is that sometimes he will go up soft and try to double clutch a layup instead of dunking it on somebody’s face.
More times than not, though, LeBron is going to take it to you and send you crying home to your momma.
Grade: A+
Leadership: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe displays a different kind of leadership that can sometimes rub people the wrong way.
He has no problem expressing his frustration and sometimes his anger to his teammates when they are screwing up, but sometimes, I think that it makes them that much better because they don’t want to get yelled at.
You would never want to let down Michael Jordan. I think the same can be said of Kobe.
Off the court, he has had his issues, but he’s mostly overcome those. When it comes to the media, he doesn’t have a problem joking around and talking, but sometimes, he can become a brick wall and would rather rip your head off than talk to you.
At the end of the day, though, you might be able to argue his style of leadership, but you can’t argue with the results.
Grade: B-
Leadership: LeBron James
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When the word leadership comes to mind, LeBron James is not the guy that I am thinking about.
At times, he has come across as a whiny baby on and off the court, and in several instances, he has been downright disrespectful.
Consider what he did to the city of Cleveland and how he went about the whole situation.
Also consider that he is not even the leader on his current team in Miami.
I can’t take LeBron seriously as a leader.
Grade: D
Performance in the Clutch: Kobe Bryant
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Ask 10 people around the world who they want taking the last shot for their basketball team, and I can guarantee you than nine of them would respond with Kobe Bryant.
Time after time, Kobe has shown that he can make the tough shots in the clutch.
Be it a long three to seal the game, getting fouled in the last seconds of the game and hitting clutch free throws, or just straight ripping the heart of the other team out, Kobe can do it all.
He is one of the most deadly players on the floor when it comes to those clutch moments.
The only player more clutch than Kobe Bryant is Michael Jordan, and that’s it.
Grade: A+
Performance in the Clutch: LeBron James
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LeBron has had his fair share of clutch moments during his career, but he’s also had a fair amount of times where he couldn’t make it happen for his team.
Now, you could argue that the same could be said for any player because the law of averages are against you if you are always the guy taking that last shot, but in LeBron’s case, I think he just lacks that killer instinct that you are looking for.
LeBron hasn’t shown anybody that he has the killer instinct to step on the throat of a team when they are down and put them out of their misery.
He doesn’t have the killer instinct to step up and constantly make the big shots at the end of the game.
Take a look at Miami right now; he is not the guy that they should be going to for the last shot.
The ball should be in Dwyane Wade’s hands at the end of the game, not LeBron’s
Grade: C+
Durability: Kobe Bryant
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This is the one part of Kobe’s game that is going to start become a problem as these season move on, and you can tell that he’s already not the player that he once was.
Let’s just face it. He can’t play forever, and eventually, his body is going to start wearing down on him.
Kobe’s had to deal with some substantial injuries during his career, but that being said, he always seems to find a way to fight through them and always produces.
I expect that he’s going to have to keep fighting his own body as he gets older, but I don’t expect the drop off to come for a few more years.
Grade: B
Durability: LeBron James
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LeBron has had the fortune of not dealing with many injuries through his young career.
Physically, he is a beast and he is obviously in good shape, so unless he experiences some kind of freak injury, I don’t see injuries being a problem for a while.
There was the whole incident with his elbow in Cleveland and how he supposedly played through the pain in the playoffs, but if you ask Cavalier fans, I think that their opinion will be a bit different.
Grade: A
Defense: Kobe Bryant
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I would not feel like it is a stretch to call Kobe Bryant a lock-down defender, even at this stage of his career.
His worth ethic and intensity is so great that it just translates right into his defensive game.
When he locks onto a defender, he will get right up on the guy and not let him get any room to breathe. He also has quick hands that allow him to force turnovers with ease, and he obviously knows what to do once he gets the ball.
As always, when it comes to Kobe, it’s really hard to argue with the numbers.
He’s been named to the NBA’s All Defensive Team 10 times during his career.
First team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
Second Team: 2001 and 2002.
Grade: A
Defense: LeBron James
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Probably one of the most underrated aspects of LeBron’s game is defense.
He is also what I would consider to be a lock-down defender, and he excels and creating turnovers and getting steals.
He’s a big guy and can bully around smaller players. He is also a very good help defender.
He has two All NBA Defensive team selections.
Grade: A
Grading Scale
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A+ = 100
A = 95
A- = 92
B+ = 88
B = 85
B- = 82
C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 72
D+ = 68
D= 65
D- = 62
Final Grades:
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Kobe Bryant: A-
LeBron James: B+
According to my breakdown and grading scale, Kobe beat LeBron, but it was a very close race.
Either way, they are both two of the best players in the NBA.
To be honest, right now, the biggest thing that separates the two of them is the amount of rings on Kobe’s hands compared to the amount on LeBron’s, but that’s a different argument for a different day.
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports
