To paraphrase Herm Ewards, one of the great things about sports is the never-ending, and often unresolved, debates over “Who’s better?” Brady or Manning, Magic or the Big O, Boggs or Gwynn, Emmitt or Barry, Russell or Chamberlain. Even though we have plenty of numbers to support our opinions, the answer to who’s ‘better’ generally resides in the eye of the beholder.
These days, that debate rages on over LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. This weekend, we got a little closer to answering that question.
In Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, Kobe was unstoppable, scoring 37 points, pulling down 14 rebounds, garnering his record-tying fourth All-Star Game MVP award and leading his Western Conference All-Stars to a five-point win. Even though LeBron recorded only the second triple-double in All-Star Game history, his efforts came in a loss.
Perhaps more significant, at least for a moment, is that LeBron, who is usually the one dunking on those less aerial than he, was posterized by the Black Mamba himself. Let’s just say rumors of Kobe Bryant’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
So to celebrate the fact that we have finally made some progress in the Kobe-LeBron debate, I present a picture that tells a thousand words. Captioners, Kobe fans and BronBron haters alike, show me what you’re made of.
The winner of this week’s caption contest must not only provide me with a witty entry, but must also explain in vivid detail why they think which baller… is better.
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I’ll go ahead and get rid of the obligatory “LeBron, tell me how my *ss tastes since I know it’s coming.”
Rise above, people.
Lets see who scores more LBJ
More assists LBJ
More EFFICIENT LBJ
Better Passer LBJ
More blocks LBJ
more steals LBJ
Better field goal % LBJ
Better 3 point field goal % LBJ
Better defender OBVIOUSLY LBJ
You honestly have to be smoking crack to even compare a multiple mvp winner to a 1 mvp in 16 years patented finals choke artist
The caption would be “kiss the ring LeBron, because I actually have one”
LeBron is good, but he only dominates the game on paper. Statistics are great and all, but LeBron can not orchestrate his team on the offensive and defensive ends of the court to win championships. Currently, LeBron isn’t even the best player when it comes down to putting the Heat in a position to win. LeBron is a terrible free throw shooter in the clutch. If Kobe ever disappeared the way LeBron did in the notorious Game 5 against the Magic, they would actually have an argument. If or when LeBron learns how to dictate the outcome of a game, then MAYBE he can be put in the same league as Kobe. But until then, it’s hype (LeBron) versus the best in the world (Kobe).
That’s how your mom’s ass tastes LBJ. At least that’s what Delonte tells me.
(better than the obvious, but not by much)
No question LeBron is the better baller. Freakish athletic ability combined with a 6’8″ 260 pound frame. LBJ makes the players around him better. Kobe is really only about making himself look good and passing the rock as a last resort. Is Bryant talented? Very, but his ego keeps him from maximizing that tremendous talent.
We are just wasting our time…The whole basketball world is now “all Carmelo, all the time.”
Bron…your eyes are getting heavier…u see in your minds eye…imagine what it would have been like…
or
Bron…it’s good to have goals. Keep up the hard work son and maybe, just maybe one day…you can be just like Kobe
Kobe: You should definitely add this to your new cartoon.
I don’t really think there’s a comparison because they are way different players. If Lebron was more of a score first player I’d try to wrap my head around that question, but as of this moment it’s too hard with the age gap as well. I’d rather compare Kobe and Wade since they are scorer’s and closers…
Let me improve my caption a little
Kobe: You need to add this dunk face to your new cartoon Bron-Bron
Oooooooooh, where do we start?
Birdman, really?
Are you saying that even suggesting that Kobe and LeBron should be even mentioned in the same breath is insulting?
Let me first preface this rebuttal by saying I am by no means a Kobe fan, nor apologist, but to say blindly that LeBron is the better player is clearly uneducated. Wait, you’re not a Heat fan, are you?
How about this for a response…
PPG per career – Kobe 25 to Lebron 27, essentially a wash.
By efficient, I assume you mean FG% – Kobe 45% to LeBron 47%, also a wash considering LeBron is a small forward and Kobe is a shooting guard.
Better passer? I’m assuming you mean more assists? Kobe 5 career apg per game to LeBron’s 7? Keep in mind, LBJ also averages more turnovers per game making that also a wash.
More blocks per game, I give LBJ the nod by .5 per game career. He is longer and is a better off-the-ball defender. Kobe is still the better perimeter defender.
More steals per game. LeBron only barely gets the nod, 1.7 to 1.5.
More efficient, I think I already answered that… unless it comes to winning championships.
Three-point percentage, actually Kobe is a better career shooter from distance. Check your stats.
Better defender? Kobe has 7 first-team all defensive awards so again, check your stats.
Look, I get it. LeBron is awesome. Nobody is arguing that.
But you may just, for a second, consider that Kobe has five rings for a reason.
When, or if, LeBron gets five, five plus more years from now, we can talk again and you can tell me I’m wrong.
Ronin…
As I told Maverick Carter above, I’m no Kobe homer, but the Mamba might want to be telling King James to kiss his FIVE rings.
Look, I saw LeBron light it up SICK that night against the Pistons. I’m not denying his talent. Who in their right mind would?
I also recognize the massive shift in his disapproval rating that stemmed from his leaving Cleveland.
All I know is, what it boils down to in determining NBA greatness is desire. Kobe showed his and did again at the All-Star Game.
Give me rings, LeBron. Give us championships. Show us that you going to Miami means you will rattle off three, four, five in a row.
That ain’t gonna be easy with Mr. Anthony going to the Garden.
Drew…
I expected better from you.
Please don’t tell me those that live in San Diego still suffer from a Los Angeles inferiority complex.
Look, you know how shit goes down in the NBA. We measure greatness by rings. Russell was better than Chamberlain because of his championships.
People are already starting to compare Kobe to Jordan. Two more championships and that argument is legit.
Do you honestly see LeBron getting six? And if not, where does that put him in the pantheon of NBA greatness?
Do you already rank him in the top ten NBA players of all time and if so, where do you rank Kobe?
J-Dub…
I’ve already dusted off my old Knicks warm-up.
See you at the Garden soon.
Mony…
I knew I’d get a response out of you. Please attest to these people I’m no Kobe fan.
I just give credit where credit is due.
Bling.
Chap…
I do agree LeBron’s grimace in the picture makes him look like that Nike muppet.
But let me just say this… D-Wade is the wrinkle in this entire equation.
Assuming he and LeBron stay teammates as long as they win championships, Wade will always have one more than him.
Look, I don’t think I’m being superficial here. Success in the NBA, as well as the NFL and Major League Baseball, has always been measured by championships.
We have our conversations that consist of “The Best to Never Win a Championship” for a reason. That’s because winning matters. Because we assume the greatest of the greats can get it done.
I’m guessing LeBron will… but just for fun, can you imagine if that never happened?
Chris
The legacy in terms of LeBron hasn’t yet been written in full but we can see that Kobe’s has been written and is still yet an unfinished book . Winning league MVP’s in the regular season simply mean’s crap when you’ve not won the one thing that counts and that’s an NBA title ! What is it with these readers ?
There’s no guarantee that the Heat in their present guise will win a title . But it is a gamble the front office looks as if they’re willing to see happen. I can tell you this though if they don’t go deep into the playoffs then the daggers will come out for LBJ’s a_s !
tophatal ……………
Chris
Here’s my piece on the death of former Bears and Giants’ player Dave Duerson . It’s a real tragedy !
Got Yourself A Headache ? Try Being An NFL Player ? …..
tophatal ……………………..
Al…
Thanks for finally bringing some sense into this argument.
And I’ll say this. With the Knicks landing ‘Melo, Amare and whichever point guard they sign long-term, the Heat rattling off multiple titles seems less likely.
Be right over to check out the Duerson piece.
Chris
So Deron Williams can now call Jersey his home ? And here’s me thinking that people want to leave Jersey not looking to live there !
As and inducement to come there was he offered both Snooki and J-Woww ?
And I was under the impression according to SNL’s Tracy Morgan —– pleasuring himself while watching Palin was something of a turn on ? LOL,LOL,LOL !!!
As a bye not with that deal does that mean we get to see and hear more of both …. Stephen A Smith and Spike Lee ?
Knicks’ owner James Dolan has the money to sign a PG ? I thought that his family company Cablevision was having financial problems ? LOL,LOL,LOL !!!
Ah well, the cable rates in the tri-state area and across the country will definitely be going up !
tophatal ………………
Sometimes I think you just write NBA to piss me off.
LeBron is the more talented basketball player. Kobe is the “greater”. I don’t think anybody seriously disputes this, and if they do, they’re probably the kind of people watching the all-star game to determine such things.
“LeBron James, right, holds up five ringless fingers after losing an in-game bet to the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant”
Well, I was referring to his new series “the Lebrons” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oeHUgpAQU
And in response to what you said to Drew, I don’t think you can ever compare anyone to Jordan. He is in a class of his own, and even if Kobe wins two more rings I still wouldn’t put him on the same level as Jordan.
If I had to take one guy in a pick up game, I’d take Kobe. Mainly because if you didn’t pick Kobe he’d do everything he could to make you regret not taking him first. I don’t see Lebron getting as offended not being the first pick.
Chris
With so many trades going down in the NBA in the last couple of days how much money could’ve been made were they (players) stocks being traded ?
tophatal ………….
Chris
So Deron now gets to “lay” —- Snooki and J-Woww because that was the allegedly the final inducement that cinched the deal. Rumor has it though Prokhorov told your namesake Kris Humphries that Kim Kardashian would have to be part of the deal as well as she’s heavily into performing or_l sex .
tophatal …………..
Somehow I’m guessing, Al, that Deron Williams doesn’t need Mikey P. to land him any skanks. I’m pretty sure he can do that all on his own.
Re: Dolan and Lee, maybe he can convince Spike to play point guard.
I don’t know about the NYC residents, but I’m looking forward to watching that team play, and if they land Chris Paul, I’m pretty sure New Yorkers won’t mind paying an extra few dollars for their cable if it means bringing home multiple championships.
One potential theory, Fro-B, is that I write such things simply to elicit a response, which I apparently did. Far be it from me to say it worked.
Feel free to unwad thy panties.
I mean, seriously. Look at the comment from Birdman above. Isn’t that just priceless?
I think all I wanted to find out here is who’s still thinking logically and who’s blinded by fanhood.
You know, kind of how you feel about Antawn Jamison.
Chappy…
I’m guessing that show won’t pull down huge ratings in Cleveland.
Look, I’m one of the biggest Jordan apologists out there. I also understand that there’s a collection of Kobe fans out there that think he’s better than MJ (I think it’s a generational thing).
I will say this. Seven rings would be quite impressive, and hard to argue with.
Top…
I’m hoping to have an NBA trade piece up soon, if only time would allow.
Seven rings would be impressive, but I’d argue that Kobe wasn’t the reason they won the first three. He helped but he wasn’t the Alpha yet.
One thing I always give Jordan credit for is when he wasn’t playing people discounted the Rockets team that won it those two years. That’s saying something! Would I say the same thing about the 2008 Celtics or the 2007 Spurs had Kobe not been in the league? Doubtful…
I don’t know that not being the alpha on those early teams matters much, Chap. Shaq may have won those Finals MVPs but Kobe was still putting up some pretty good numbers. I don’t think those championships carry an asterisk.
And I’ve never been one to assume that Jordan’s Bulls would have easily handled those Rockets teams.
How would it have tarnished his legacy if Jordan had never retired and won seven championships but lost one Finals appearance to that Rockets team?
Hard to imagine, huh?
Chris
I’ve done my own piece not so much about the trades but more do with the fact that the season resumed after the All Star Break .
In time I know you’ll get ’round to reading it !
Please remind chappy that Kobe was integral to the Lakers’ success when Shaq was there because there were times in the runup to those finals when “The Diesel” was actually MIA !
tophatal ………….
Chris
This just in the Quicken Loans Arena will be imploded and turned into a community farm . However they’ll need a great deal more fertilizer and cow manure than has already been dished up by that Cavaliers’ team this season .
Chris once again remind why there’s the NCAA ?
Kiffin, Calhoun and Pearl all deny anymore wrongdoing beyond what’d been already found in the NCAA’ s original investigation. However the Infractions Committee have come up with whole new slew of violations they’d missed originally. WTF !
It Is What It Is ……………… Why The NCAA Collegiate Coaches Are A Bunch Of
Sanctimonious Ba_tards !
tophatal …………….
It Is What It Is ……………… Why The NCAA Collegiate Coaches Are A Bunch Of
Sanctimonious Bastards !
tophatal …………
Chris
Overall I’m not saying the Knicks won’t be fine but I don’t see them going deep into the playoffs . That team as of now essentially built to put up the big stats . Defensively they’re not that good to begin with !
The trades themselves in large part were done to offset those burdensome contracts !
Shaq couldn’t have won those rings in La-La-Land without Kobe ! Someone needs to remind people of that .
tophatal …………..
Shaq put up some pretty nasty numbers during those Finals. I think people tend to forget how dominant he was those three years.
But you’re right. Kobe was just as responsible for bringing that three-peat back to Southern California.
The only thing entertaining about the new Pearl violations is that it gives you yet another reason to rag on the NCAA.
Re: The Knicks, Al, let’s just agree on the fact that this is no team anyone will want to face. I’m already ready to kick off this renewed Heat-Knicks rivalry.
I understand how moving cap space or a player that won’t resign is important but not at the expense of a title, is it?
Exactly, so it’s like Kobe was Shaq’s Pippen. Jordan was never the sidekick. I’m never going to agree Kobe is as good as Jordan so we’ll leave it at that. If championships matter so much why isn’t Bill Russell the one that is the GOAT? Probably because he was from the white era, but still.
I wish we got to see those Jordan-Hakeem battles. On the other hand I think the Bulls would’ve won. Jordan owned Drexler, and killed his confidence routinely in the early 90’s…
That was one of my favorite lines from FreeDarko’s latest, Chap.
“Olajuwon would never meet Jordan on the NBA’s biggest stage, and for this, we should all feel emptiness.’
Chris
It’s not that I don’t mind raggin’ on the NCAA because it beats raggin’ on Congress , the Senate and Obama’s — Cabinet . Each of the parties in question were they lost in a tidal wave at sea I’d wish for their _ss to drown !
Bruce Pearl now makes even Calipari look OK ! As for Calhoun and Lane Kiffin let’s just say that hell hasn’t a place where they’d both feel welcomed !
tophatal …. 🙂
Chris
Mayhem hits the Motor City as McGrady leads a revolt there leading to where coach John Kuester only had six of his 12 players suit up against the Sixers ?
McGrady has become a tool and a nutsack ! If his game were to fall any further he could play in the D League !
tophatal ……………
Bruce Pearl makes Calipari look okay? Damn, it’s gone downhill for him.
And Al, if you were in Detroit, would you want to play for that team?
Chris
What’s happening there in the Motor City isn’t Kuester’s fault ! It’s all to do with Dumars and how he went about rebuilding the team . It’s a set of mismatching pieces as a kid’s building block with pieces missing.
Calhoun says he’ll appeal any findings that the NCAA levies against the U Conn Huskies . Calipari has yet to be caught in a lie that we know of unlike a number of predecessors …… namely Rick Pitino .
tophatal …………….
Read All About It ……..
———————
Mutiny On The Bounty …………….. And At The Palace of Auburn Hills
What’s this about both the Mets and Dodgers wanting to borrow money from MLB ? The Dodgers want $200 million while the Mets simply want a mere $25 million . Say it ain’t so ?
tophatal …………
Got Yourself A Headache Try Being An NFL Player .. ?
Chris
George Cohen (court appointed mediator for the NFL and union) has my admiration as he’s now beginning to blow smoke up everyone’s a_s if he thinks that the fans believe that the league and union have moved considerably closer than where they were some weeks ago.
I remember George H W Bush saying …….. no new taxes and that was when I was working as an analyst and we all know that b_tch ended up don’t we ?
tophatal ………..
Consider my panties unwadded.
I’ll ask you again, Al.
If you played for the Pistons, wouldn’t you be disgruntled as well?
Al…
How grand would it be if Selig were connected somehow to Madoff?
Wouldn’t that invigorate our cause for impeachment?
And as usual, I’m behind on my reading, but work has called quite a bit these days.
I’ll be over to check out your latest as soon as I can.
“Oh… you got me this time Kobe just almost got the block”
And Lebron is the best baller yeah he might not have a ring but he only is in his second year with a team surrounding him if he had a team around him every year he would have some rings
KB…
I’ve liked Miami to win it all all season but they do need to tighten things up down the stretch.
Teams like Oklahoma City and Chicago are kicking it into high gear right about now.
Can you imagine the Heat the Heat will get if they don’t win it all this year?
I’m not sure whether I’m looking forward to that or not.