The LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant is one of the many arguments likely to come up when people are just sitting around killing time.
There are many sides to both, but the right answer is obvious. LeBron James is undisputedly a better player than Kobe Bryant, we should be having a James versus Jordan argument not a Bryant versus James.
There are many reasons why James is the all-around superior player. He is the better scorer, over the course of James’ career he has averaged 27.2 points a game, to compare
Bryant has averaged 25.44 points per game, and this average is excluding the last three years in which Bryant has played injured. So even with help Bryant has averaged almost two less points a game in his career. Beyond scoring, James dominates Bryant in every category.
James has shot 49.7 percent over the course of his career, compared to Bryant’s 44.8 percent. James averages 6.9 assists a game, compared to Bryant’s 4.7. James averages 7.2 rebounds to Bryant’s 5.3.
The most common counter point Bryant’s fans like to bring up is that Bryant has won more rings. Bryant has five NBA championships, which compared to James’ two, puts James to shame.
But since when did team awards determine the skill of an individual. For three of Bryant’s championships he wasn’t even the best player on his team, which would be Shaquille O’Neal, who won the finals MVP all three years the Lakers won the championship. Bryant only has two finals MVPs to his name, which is impressive. The only issue is that James also has two finals MVP trophies to his name.
As far as an effect on a team, James makes teams significantly better when he joins them. In James’ last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, before going to Miami, they went 61-21 which was the best record in the NBA.
The next season without James they went a league’s worst 19-63 that season. That is the biggest drop in NBA history.
The season before James returned to Cleveland, the Cavaliers went 33-49. In James’ first year back in Cleveland they went 53-29 and advanced to the NBA finals. His effect on a team can’t be understated.
The second counter point brought up is that Bryant is a better clutch performer than James. However, this also is a stereotype and can be refuted with stats. James is 8-19 on go-ahead or game tying shots in the playoffs. To compare, Bryant is 7-28. So late in games during the playoffs, when the pressure is the highest, James has disproven the stereotype that he is not clutch.
Bryant is about as far behind James as James is behind Jordan. When you take out bias and nostalgia all you have left is numbers and facts. The numbers prove James is the better player and everyone knows how the saying goes- numbers never lie.
