LeBron James and Kobe Bryant shared the crown for the best player in the NBA from the early 00s to 10s. After that Kobe’s age caught up to him while LeBron was showcasing his prime. During that time, before the Jordan and LeBron debate, it was the Kobe and Jordan debate. Between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who had the better career?
LeBron’s longevity and great vision helped him to be a multi-dimensional superstar. He is what you get if you add more qualities to the game of Magic Johnson. Whereas Kobe Bryant was considered the regen of Michael Jordan.
LeBron James vs Kobe Bryant: Regular season and playoff stats
Stats | LeBron James | Kobe Bryant |
---|---|---|
Points per game in regular season | 27.1 | 25 |
Points per game in the playoffs | 28.7 | 25.6 |
Rebounds per game in regular season | 7.5 | 5.2 |
Rebounds per game in the playoffs | 9 | 5.1 |
Assists per game in regular season | 7.4 | 4.7 |
Assists per game in playoffs | 7.2 | 4.7 |
Field Goal% in regular season | 50.5% | 44.7% |
Field Goal% in playoffs | 49.5% | 44.8% |
LeBron James leads in every statistical category. Some of them can be reasoned out. For example, LeBron is a much taller player than Kobe and spends a lot of time as a Small or Power forward. Hence, the rebounding numbers for LeBron will be much higher.
LeBron also takes a lot of his shots from the mid-range and in the paint. He’s also very bad at shooting from behind the arc and therefore only takes the shots sparingly. Whereas Kobe is a much better 3-point shooter, which is why his FG% is much lower.
Other than that, LeBron James has just shown that he is a much better player in other statistical categories.
King James vs Black Mamba: Accolades
Stats | LeBron James | Kobe Bryant |
---|---|---|
NBA Titles | 4 | 5 |
All-NBA selections | 17 | 15 |
All-Defensive Team selections | 6 | 12 |
MVP | 4 | 1 |
Finals MVP | 4 | 2 |
Scoring Title | 1 | 2 |
All-Star Selections | 18 | 18 |
Finals Record | 4-6 | 5-2 |
Accolades-wise, Kobe takes the win. Kobe has won more NBA titles than LeBron and more scoring titles. Bryant is also a much better defender and has a better record in the NBA finals.
LeBron still has some of the more important achievements like more MVPs and Finals MVPs. Currently, they have the same number of all-star appearances but LeBron is sure to pass that by next season.
LeBron James vs Kobe Bryant: Career Highs
Stats | LeBron James | Kobe Bryant |
---|---|---|
Most Points in a Game | 61 | 81 |
Most Points per game in regular season | 31.4 | 35.4 |
Most points per game in playoffs | 35.3 | 32.8 |
Most Points in a playoff game | 51 | 50 |
Most Points in a Finals Game | 51 | 40 |
All-time points in regular season | 37,062 | 33,643 |
All-time points in the NBA playoffs | 7,631 | 5,640 |
Kobe Bryant was regarded as the greatest scorer in NBA history. His 81-point game and his 35.4 points per game season are regarded highly. However, LeBron’s longevity and ability to rise to the occasion helped him surpass Kobe in all-time points, in both the regular season and NBA playoffs.
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant played each other 22 times in their career. In those games, Kobe averaged 24.6 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Whereas LeBron James averaged 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. And in those 22 games that they played, LeBron’s team won 16 of those game. Pure dominations from LeBron James.
After diving into the stats and accolades of these 2 Hall of Famers, it’s clear to say that LeBron James has surpassed Kobe Bryant and is the number 2 behind Jordan’s number 1.