The GOAT Kobe vs LeBron argument

WHY KOBE BRYANT>LEBRON JAMES

(Debunking the Lebron scored more points overall and more ppg career average)

Now carefully compare stats and see how unfair that is on Kobe's career ppg average. He was benched like crazy and hardly got any time to play because he joined a team with two veteran guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, (the youngest player to ever play in the NBA after Bynum) and Lebron joined a shit team where he was lucky to get more playing time. So taking into context that Kobe was younger then Lebron when he joined, smaller, and he got shit playing minutes, well those stats make sense.

First Regular Season of 1996-1997
7.6ppg, total of 539 points that season (Lebron got 1654 his first season)

Second Regular Season of 1997-1998
15.4ppg, total of 1240 that regular season (Lebron got 2175)

Third Regular Season of 1998-1999
19.9ppg, total of 996 points that regular season (Lebron got 2478)


Finally Kobe has missed three playoffs, due to injury last year. Lebron missed his first two playoffs.


After those years where Kobe was benched were over and they started letting him have the ball more  Kobe averaged 2000+ point per regular season and 25+ ppg, see the difference and the overall impact those three years had on his overall career average. Look at his second season where he got 1240 points averaging 15.4ppg, then compare that to his third season where he only got 996 averaging a higher 19.9ppg, how is it possible to get more on your second season averaging less ppg then your third season? Let's be fair here.

This is also incredible because despite the fact that Kobe only got a total of 2775 points in his first 3 seasons, and Lebron got 5307 points in his first 3 seasons, Kobe broke most of Wilt Chamberlains scoring records, and Lebron broke Kobe's just by a little margin, showing that when they eventually gave Kobe decent playing time, he was good enough to cover so much more ground then Lebron, and even with this huge head start Lebron only beat him out, and even though his first three seasons (due to Kobe having minimal playing time) he averaged 13.3 less ppg first season, 18.5 less ppg his second season, and 7.5 less ppg his third season (when compared to Lebrons first three seasons due to having a lot of playing time) he is still only averaging 2% less ppg in his overall career average. Think about that for a second. Kobe's overall career ppg average is lower then Lebron's by 2% even though he had the 7 and 8ppg for two seasons which dramatically taxed his overall average, and Lebron never had any that low, always 19ppg+, so Kobe is by far a more efficient scorer to make up that much ground. that is crazy when you honestly think about it.
(Debunking the Kobe was handed his championships by Shaq and Gasol, while Lebron earned his)

The thing about the rings is that Kobe was averaging the same numbers as Shaq for two of the three rings, and he was averaging more then Lebron averaged during his championships and way more then Wade as the sidekick, and he did this all as the second option, think about what that means. Keep in mind that the Lakers' biggest/only challenges during the 01 and 02 Titles were in the western conference playoff's.
Since that's the case, we can look at Kobe/Shaq's Round 1-3 Statistics to get an ACCURATE measure of their respective contributions to the title runs and not the DISTORTED version given by the mere result of Shaq's 3 Finals MVP that he earned because no one on the Sixers/Nets could guard him.

Kobe's '01 Western Conference Playoffs: 31.6 PPG/ 7.0 RPG / 6.2 APG / 2.1 Stocks / 49% Shooting
Shaq's '01 Western Conference Playoffs: 29.3 PPG/ 15.3 RPG / 2.4 APG / 2.3 Stocks / 54% Shooting
Analysis: Kobe averaged more points at a higher FG% relative to him than Shaq did. His FG% went up from 46% during the regular season to 49% (+3). Shaq's on the other hand went DOWN from 57% to 54% (-3). Kobe's other numbers went up across the board as well (rebounds +1, assists +1.2) while Shaq's rebound numbers went up (+2.6) but his assists (-1.3) and stocks(-1.1) went down. Kobe's play ELEVATED. Shaq's did not, and arguably dropped from the regular season WHEN IT MATTERED MOST.

Kobe '02 West Playoffs: 26.6 PPG / 5.9 RPG / 4.4 APG / 2.3 Stocks / 41% Shooting
Shaq's '02 West Playoffs: 26.4 PPG / 12.6 RPG / 2.6 APG / 2.9 Stocks / 51% Shooting
Analysis: Kobe is AGAIN the points leader. However, the FG% leaves something to be desired. Closer inspection shows that BOTH Shaq and Kobe had some struggles during this stretch, with each having their FG% drop from 47 and 57 respectively, an equal amount of 6% points from their regular season numbers. Conclusion? They were equals once more during their West Finals treks.
Kobe's '01 West Playoffs, where the Lakers went undefeated and looked as unstoppable as any team in NBA history, were clearly superior to Shaq's. His 02 Playoffs were less so, but still equal to Shaq's when one considers their respective FG% drops were identical and indicative of stronger competition.

Shaquille O'Neal stats during the three peat:
First Ring:
1999-2000 Season:
29.7ppg, 3.8asts, 13.6rpg, 0.5stls, 3blks
1999-2000 Playoffs:
30.7ppg, 3.1asts, 15.4rpg, 0.6stls, 2.4blks

Second Ring:
2000-20001 Season:
28.7ppg, 3.7asts, 12.7rpg, 0.6stls, 2.8blks
2000-2001 Playoffs:
30.4ppg, 3.2asts, 15.4rpg, 0.4stls, 2.4blks

Third Ring:
2001-2002 Season:
27.2ppg, 3.0asts, 10.7rpg, 0.6stls, 2.0blks
2001-2002 Playoffs:
28.5ppg, 2.8asts, 12.6rpg, 0.5stls, 2.5blks

Kobe's three peat stats as second option and a newbie not in his prime...
First Ring:
1999-2000 Season: Aged 21
22.5ppg, 4.9asts, 6.3rebs, 1.6stls, 0.9blks,
1999-2000 Playoffs:
21.1ppg, 4.4asts, 4.5rebs, 1.5stls, 1.5blks

Second Ring
2000-2001 Season: Aged 22
28.5ppg, 5asts, 5.9rebs, 1.7stls, 0.6blks
2000-2001 Playoffs:
29.4ppg, 6.1asts, 7.3rebs, 1.6stls, 0.8blks

Third Ring:
2001-2002 Season: Aged 23
25.2 ppg, 5.5asts, 5.5rebs, 1.5stls, 0.4blks
2001-2002 Playoffs:
26.6ppg, 4.6asts, 5.8rebs, 1.4stls, 0.9blks

Lebron James stats as the first option in his prime...
First Ring:
2011-2012 Season: Aged 28
26.8ppg, 7.3asts, 8.0rebs, 1.7stls, 0.9blks,
2010-2011 Playoffs:
30.3ppg, 5.6asts, 9.7rebs, 1.9stls, 0.7blks (shooting 0.259 from three, so where are all the points coming from I wonder)

Second Ring:
2012-2013 Season: Aged 29
26.2ppg, 6.3asts, 5.0rebs, 1.1stls, 0.2blks,
2012-2013 Season:
25.9ppg, 6.6 asts, 8.4rebs, 1.8stls, 0.8blks

(YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS A 21-23 YEAR OLD KOBE STILL FRESH IN THE LEAGUE BEING COMPARED TO A 28-29 YEAR OLD LEBRON IN HIS PRIME, AND LOOK HOW SIMILAR THE STATS ARE, EVEN THOUGH KOBE WAS THE SECOND OPTION, SO HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THIS DOUBLE STANDARD)

(Debunking the more M.V.P nonsense)

Kobe Bean Bryant!

Regular Season of 2002-2003:
30ppg, 6.9rpg, 5.9asts, 1.7stls
Playoff Season of 2002-2003:
32.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 5.2asts, 1.2stls

Regular Season of 2005-2006:
35.4ppg, 5.3rpg, 4.5asts, 1.8stls
Playoff Season of 2005-2006:
27.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 5.1asts, 1.1stls

Regular Season of 2006-2007:
31.6ppg, 5.7rpg, 5.4asts, 1.4stls
Playoff Season of 2007-2007:
32.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.4asts, 1.0stls

Regular Season of 2007-2008:
28.3ppg, 6.3rpg, 5.4asts, 1.8stls
Playoff Season of 2007-2008:
30.1ppg, 5.7rpg, 5.6asts, 1.7stls

So Kobe averaging that and not winning M.V.P in any of those years is fair? 4 M.V.P's he deserved but was robbed off. You want proof that it was due to his rape allegations among other things why he didn't get it. Look at the stats on the year they finally gave him the MVP, it is worse then every single one I listed up there in comparison.
Regular Season of 2008-2009:
26.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.9asts, 1.5stls
Playoff Season of 2008-2009:
30.2ppg, 5.3rpg, 5.5asts, 1.7stls

If we throw out Kobe's 1st Finals, where he had a bum ankle and was only 21, he only has ONE series anywhere near as bad as LBJs 07 Finals (22 PPG, 35% Shooting), his 2008 East Finals (27 PPG, 35% Shooting), or his 2011 Finals, probably the WORST Choke EVER for a Regular Season MVP (17 pts (LESS THAN BOSH), on 47%).

Only Kobe's 04 Finals compare (23 PPG, 38% Shooting).

This is what gets me as well. How can they even consider Lebron an option for M.V.P after he sold out and joined Miami Heat who has 3 of the top 10 players in the NBA in one team, and that's not even counting the greatest 3 point shooter of all time Ray Allen, and the rest of the team?

(Debunking the Lebron is a better shooter)

He only has a higher FG % because 70% of his points come from dunks, lay ups and close up shots whilst Kobe has a made a career of taking 3 point shots from deep, and tough shots with 3 defenders on him every game.

Kobe's Career Free Throws Made 7,932 - 9,468 - 83.8%
Lebron's Free Throws Made 4,943 - 6,617 - 74.7%

This is the easiest way to determine who is a better shooter, because you have no one to blame but your shooting skill for missing. And Lebron is worse by 9.1%, dang!

Lebron has every advantage possible and Kobe still outdoes him. He is posted in the weak pushover eastern conference, easier points, easier wins, easier to reach NBA Finals. He has a team with three of the top ten players in the NBA, 2 to 20 players, and a bench with legit depth.

Plus the Heat are the most stacked team in the NBA. Let's compare the heat Lebron won two championships with and the Lakers Kobe won two championships with shall we? How many top 20 players did Kobe have? hmmmm 1, himself. What about Lebron? hmmmm 5, himself included! 2 Top 5, 1 top 10, 2 top 20! So 5 players that are better then every player on Kobe's team, yeah, LeGroupies need to take a sec on this one. And let us not forget that on their worst day the heats bench would have spanked the Lakers bench Kobe had. Lebron literally made it boring by joining up with such a stellar team and robbed himself of the glory of doing it with a decent team. How can they give him M.V.P being on such a team? I have shown you how Kobe was robbed of those M.V.P's due to his rape allegations and so forth. I mean he was averaging 35ppg and he didn't win M.V.P? Lebron is the medias sweetheart, so he is lucky on that score.
p.s The time the Caves made the finals was because the eastern conference was a weak, pushover conference, period! Honestly, do you believe that if the Caves were posted in the western conference that Lebron would have ever made the Western Finals, let alone the NBA Finals?! Come on man, you know what I'm saying is true here. This is why they got sweeped, because the west was just another caliber of basketball compared to the shit east teams they were used to.

-Lebron was in team USA but couldn't win until Kobe got on that team, only then did they win the gold. Only reason it took so long was Kobe's image was destroyed by this rape nonsense.

-Kobe was boss and his second in command was LeBron in 07 & 08 Olympics. White team (Kobe's team" beat blue team "Bron's Team" cause of Kobe. Kobe schooled him on Equally matched teams)

-Kobe's Career Turnovers in 17 seasons 3,719
Lebron's Career Turnovers in 9 seasons 2,525

-Kobe's Career Free Throws Made 7,932 - 9,468 - 83.8%
Lebron's Free Throws Made 4,943 - 6,617 - 74.7%

Kobe has:
-5 Championships, and 7 Finals Appearances
-2 NBA Finals MVP and one NBA MVP
-2 Time scoring Champion
-14 All-NBA Team (ten times to the All-NBA First Team)
-12 All-Defensive Team (nine times to the All-Defensive First Team)
-14 Time NBA All-Star Game and 4 Time All Star MVP
-1 Slam Dunk Title (as a rookie)
-2 Youngest player to ever play in the NBA
-Youngest player selected for the All Stars

-Kobe averages 27.4 PPG / 5.7 RPG / 5.1 APG on 46% Shooting as a Starter. Taken into the context of this entire discussion, Kobe's "lower efficiency" is only lower than that of the greatest Guard of All-Time, Michael Jordan, by .015 Points Per Shot Attempt, or .04 when FT pts are taken out of the equation.
His peak (career highs in every category): 35.4 PPG / 6.9 RPG / 6.0 APG / 2.2 SPG / 1BLK / 47% Shooting cannot be touched by anyone other than MJ at his position, and surely no one within this era. Maybe individual categories (not Points of course), but not the collective package.

-Kobe Averaged 35.0/9.0/4.3 on 47% Shooting in the 01 Semi-Final Sweep of the Sacramento Kings.

-Lakers vs Blazers 2006-07
Kobe's Average Stats In These Five Games: 62.2 PTS, 8.4 REB, 2.2 APG, 2.6 SPG, 56.9% FG (99-174). Lakers record: 5-0.
I'd like to see another player besides Wilt compare to that stat line. The crazy thing is Wilt put up a lot more shots and something like 60+ in his 100 pt game against a bunch of (Honestly) scrubs that were 4-6 inches shorter than him nearly every game.
-In less than a quarter and a half, Kobe hit ELEVEN 3's, (9 in a row). No other player in history could do that. He was shooting like 80%.
-Kobe scored 42 in one half against Jordan 2002, and 55 in total.
-Kobe has also scored 30 in a quarter
-Kobe has scored 62 in 3 quarters against the Maves, imagine if he played in the fourth, 90+ almost for sure
-Kobe has scored 81 in a game with no overtimes. Kobe connected on 28 of 46 field goals (60.9 percent) and 7 seven of 13 three-pointers (54 percent). He was simply unstoppable, and he seemingly couldn't miss anything he chucked up towards the rim. Compare that to Wilts 100, where he was taller then everybody, and he put up 60+ shots. The Lakers won the game 122-104, by the way, meaning Kobe led the Lakers to a 36 point swing after being down by 18 at one point and subsequently winning by 18 points.
-Marc Jackson (2nd all time assists leader, now NBA GSW coach) said Kobe is G.O.A.T after he won his fifth ring. (My point is even if he is not, he is the nearest thing).
-Magic Johnson has stated that Kobe is the greatest Laker ever
-Shaquille O'Neal stated he is the greatest player of their era at a time when he slapped him in the face, and better then Lebron at a later time
-Micheal Jordan stated Kobe over Lebron, and even said Kobe is the only player in history that could beat him 1 on 1
-Charles Barkley had Kobe top 5 ALL TIME, way ahead of Lebron
-Kareem Abdul-Jaabar had Kobe over Lebron
You can't argue with their Basketball I.Q, period! I take their I.Q over yours. When Kobe won his fifth ring, NBA coaches, ESPN analysts, even players were saying he might go down as the greatest ever or the closest thing to MJ, and now you LeGroupies think because Lebron has won two rings with the most stacked team in the NBA he is somehow the greatest or greater then Kobe? Sorry, it does not work like that.  And if we go off pure stats then Bird is way better then Magic, but nowhere is Bird ahead of Magic in ALL TIME GREATNESS LISTS. Why? Because there is so much more to the game then pure stats, but as I have demonstrated through stats Kobe is better, but stats aren't everything.

To conclude and summarize then... (always keep in mind Kobe has played 7 more seasons so Lebrons numbers may not be as consistent in the future, and Kobe's first few seasons he was benched like crazy while Lebron was given a lot of playing minutes, so everything is in context)

Assist: Lebron>Kobe (even though Kobe averaged similar assists -about 1-2 less pg numbers to Lebron and for a player in his position that is an achievement)
-Rebounding: Lebron>Kobe (this is also close, 6.6rpg-5.3rpg)
-NBA MVP: Lebron>Kobe (I have explained how his rape case robbed him of many, and how Lebron should not have been eligible once he joined Miami)
-In the paint: Lebron>Kobe
-FG %: Lebron>Kobe (I have already explained this to you)

-Finals MVP: EVEN

-Olympic gold: EVEN

-Leadership: EVEN, They are both Alpha males, but in the Olympics Kobe was Top Dog
-Penetrating: I would say they are equal, Kobe isn't as strong but he can penetrate with 4 defenders standing in front of him and dunk on em even aged 34.

-Defense: Kobe>Lebron

-Turnovers: Kobe>Lebron

-Clutch: Kobe>Lebron

-FT %: Kobe>Lebron

-1vs1: Kobe>Lebron

-Basketball I.Q: Kobe>Lebron

-Killer instinct/Mental Game: Kobe>Lebron

-Handling/dribbling/footwork: Kobe>Lebron

-Stamina/played more minutes per game: Kobe>Lebron

-All Stars MVP: Kobe>Lebron

Finally the one that matters most!!!!!!!!!!

-Championships: Kobe>Lebron

To summarize, this is why Wade who is one of the nicest guys in the NBA and a close pal of Lebron, who is an all time great, who has a basketball I.Q 1000x higher then mine or yours said that Kobe has lead this era and Kobe is the greatest player of this era. Lebron's time is now, it started 2 years ago. We have to sit back and watch what he do with his time. Until then, give Kobe his due, stop hating.