HANG TIME NEW JERSEY BUREAU – Fact 1: LeBron James is posting up a lot more than he has in previous seasons.
Fact 2: LeBron James leads the league in field goal percentage from within five feet of the basket.
Highest field goal percentage within five feet of the basket
| Player | FGM | FGA | FG% |
| LeBron James | 171 | 226 | 75.7% |
| Tyson Chandler | 135 | 179 | 75.4% |
| Tiago Splitter | 100 | 136 | 73.5% |
| Kevin Durant | 122 | 169 | 72.2% |
| Andre Iguodala | 67 | 93 | 72.0% |
Minimum 75 FGA
Are Fact 1 and Fact 2 related? Not really.
James is posting up almost twice as much as he did last season, a great thing for those of us who have been calling for him to develop a post game. But he’s been less efficient in the post than he was a year ago, according to Synergy Sports.
James is posting up on 14 percent of his plays and scoring a little less than a point per possession on those post-ups (when he keeps the ball). That’s good, but not as efficient as he’s been in the last two seasons in the post, mostly because he’s not getting to the line as much.
LeBron James’ post-ups, last three seasons
| Season | % Poss | Poss | Points | PPP | FGM | FGA | FG% | %FT |
| 2009-10 | 6.3 | 133 | 152 | 1.14 | 53 | 93 | 0.570 | 22.6 |
| 2010-11 | 7.9 | 163 | 170 | 1.04 | 67 | 126 | 0.532 | 15.3 |
| 2011-12 | 14.2 | 120 | 119 | 0.99 | 47 | 88 | 0.534 | 13.8 |
% Poss = Percent of total possessions
Poss = Number of post-up possessions
PPP = Points per possession
%FT = Percent of possessions that result in free throws
James is taking 38 percent of his shots from within five feet of the hoop, up from 35 percent last season. But that increase has more to do with transition opportunities than post-ups. James is leading the league in fast-break points for the fourth straight season, but he’s scoring a much higher percentage of his points on the break than he ever has.
LeBron James’ fast-break points, last five seasons
| Season | FBPs | PTS | FBP% |
| 2007-08 | 390 | 2,250 | 17.3% |
| 2008-09 | 419* | 2,304 | 18.2% |
| 2009-10 | 460* | 2,258 | 20.4% |
| 2010-11 | 457* | 2,111 | 21.6% |
| 2011-12 | 222* | 903 | 24.6% |
*League leader
In the restricted area
But James does occasionally turn a post-up into layups. In the three examples below, you’ll see him use both his size (first play) and agility (last two) to get to the basket.
Those last two buckets are evidence of some Hakeem-esque footwork that we don’t often see from James.
In the paint
In addition to shooting more and better from within five feet of the basket, James has also increased his shooting percentage from elsewhere in the paint. In total, he’s taking 48 percent of his shots from the paint and shooting them at 69 percent, up from 62 percent last season.
Here are a few examples of post-ups that turn into easy buckets elsewhere in the paint, even though his footwork could still use a little more polish…
Mid-range fadeaways
The one area where James’ shooting percentage is down this season is mid-range shots (between the paint and the 3-point line). His 41 percent shooting from mid-range is above the league average (38 percent) but well below his mark of 45 percent last season. That drop is compounded by James taking 41 percent of his shots from mid-range, up from 33 percent last season.
A little too often, a James post-up turns into a bad shot…
Passing out of the post
The outcry for James to post up more often was never only about his own shots. With the size of a power forward and the passing skills of a point guard, James can create as many or more good shots for his team by passing out of the post as he can by mastering the up-and-under.
When James has the ball on the perimeter, defenders can easily see both James and their own man at the same time. But when he’s got the ball below the foul line, it’s harder to see both your man and the ball without turning your head.
According to Synergy, James has passed on 30 percent of his post-ups. And the Heat have scored 1.19 points per possession on those plays, as opposed to the 0.99 they’ve scored when he’s kept the ball.
Here are a few examples of James creating for others out of the post, with defenders clearly getting caught with their heads turned on the first and third plays…
By going into the post more, James has answered the call of his coaches and critics. And though he’s not quite a dominant force on the low block, he should eventually get there. And as his post moves become more polished, defenders will have to pick their poison, because he can do as much damage with a pass as he can with a shot.
Lebron may not be in my top 10 greats but we can´t deny that he is the greatest player for this last five years in NBA..he is the most influential player since MJ and way more better as a player than Kobe or Shaq in there prime..the only difference is the ring..if he got 1, i know all his haters will shut up just like what they did to MIAMI haters last year..zzzippp!
your an idiot ill agree lebron has been the best in the last five years but kobe in his prime vs lebron, kobe is by far the better player
Ok, now is where you try to prove your opinion. I’ll wait.
kobe cannot carry a team by himself,just think of what lebron do to the cavs can kobe bring LA to the finals by himself(w/o shaq or coach phil)
Cedric you are as dumb as Prix. Lebron carried a team that played in a pathetic conference. The West Has been the best conference since Jordan retired…. when Shaq left LA they had nobody to play with Kobe at all.. Lebron had descent role players….And Lebron has a size and speed advantage over every player in the NBA…there is no player who physically can match up against him….This is not skill, KOBE is the most skilled player since before Jordan….Even experts agree that Kobe has better fundamentals than Jordan did….Lebron will never be in Kobe elite league and set the records that he has…81 pints…62 in 3 Q’s… 3 point record, etc, etc, etc.
prix there is no dening that lebron is a great player..but to say he is better than kobe ..Lebron is a one dimensional player ..until this year he had no post up game and still has no midrange game..all he does is dunk and shot 3s ..that is why he fails in the post season..and he isnt clutch and u know that..i have a friend from work who is from Akron ohio and saw Lebron play in high school and he said Lebron was the same in high school..afraid to take the big shot..AND REMEMBER THIS ..IF HE IS SO GREAT WHY DID HE HAVE TO JOIN W2 SUPERSTARS ..U HAVE STARS JOIN U..ZZZIPPP..KOBE WILL RIP UR HEART OUT ON COURT ..LEBRON WILL ASK FOR IT..
Lebron is a one dimensional player? Wow, you are either blind or stupid. You do realize that kobe is 10 times more one dimensional than Lebron? Kobe can shoot, thats it. Yes he can post up but its not like hes the greatest post-up player..
Lebron can do everything, you would know that if you had a little knowledge of basketball. Yes, kobe has accomplished more. nothing can take that away but if you match talents vs talents.. No one can say Kobe is even near lebron.
Kobe never did it alone, too. He always had a couple of fellow stars in the years he got the championships.
your telling me kobe did it by himself?hahahahahahhahahaahahah u idiot, he had the greateat coach of all time, he had shaq, he has always had good PGs on his team and always had good post players so dont make it sound like kob enever had no1 on his team
Wow, of all the dumb comments by Kobe fans I have read over the last few years, this is the dumbest. One dimensional? He is the polar opposite of one dimensional. And even if you are just talking about scoring, you’re still wrong. He can score from outside as well as inside. And prime Lebron is a better player than prime Kobe. That can be empirically shown. Sounds to me like you just care about scoring. I hate to break it you guy, but Lebron is a more efficient scorer than Kobe, too, so even at that Kobe is inferior to Lebron. I know, I know. 5 championships. Wrong again as that is a team accomplishment, not an individual one. And that team concept is especially important in Kobe’s case as he wasn’t even the best player on his first three champions, much less most productive. I know you Kobe fans are immune to reason, so I’ll leave it at that.
Kobe had Shaq, Gasol, Horry, Grant, Rice. Alos when Kobe played with Shaq, he was the #2 option. Most of the games that Kobe had giant Games, he was playing thoes 2 seasons with Odem as the #2 option, so who could have scored???????? Awnser that one?????
So your calling a two time MVP a one dimensional player??? Yeah, you definitly know basketball
What an id..iot your are man !
LeBron is a one dimensional player, seriously dude ?
What are you smoking ?
LoL I’m just gonna confirm what everyone else here has replied to you. If you think LeBron… LEBRON JAMES… is a ONE-dimensional player, your freedom of speech on basketball-related matters should be revoked ASAP. You’re delusional, I mean… are you serious? Please say no. If you say no, I’ll believe there’s hope for you afterall. If not, do us all the favor and stay away from NBA blogs. Thanks.
wow.. one dimensional? how many one dimensional player you know has taken their loser team to the NBA Finals?
Not bad for a one dimensional player.. (PS, the space above is for your answer)
Lebron = the best swiss army knife you can buy
Kobe = a katana
…that’s the difference between them (RIGHT NOW).
There’s more to basketball than just how high you jump and how fast you run, although both helps out a great deal, it won’t win you championships.
Kobe Bryant averages only 45% from the field for his career. He’s the most selfish player in the league. He really isn’t as clutch as people say. I’m pretty sure if Lebron was as selfish as Kobe is, shooting over 20 shots each and every game, he would prove to all of you that he is the better offensive player. In my opinion Lebron James is the best basketball player ever (coming from a Boston fan). I’ve watched Jordan play and his game does not compare to James’. Maybe Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are more competetive and mentally strong, but basketball is a ‘GAME’, and if we go on out and out talent, Lebron is clearly the best player of all time.
ON PAPER, Lebron is the best player EVER…
ON the court, how strong your will is, and how strong you are mentally, and how much you want it matters. As the whole world saw in last year’s finals, the best EVER disappeared completely when it mattered the most.
Lebron is playing not to lose….he’s not playing to win when it’s time for plays that really matter.
I’m an unashamed Laker fan, but I seem to be one of the few Laker fans who aren’t just Kobe fans and blind to actual fact. Lebron isn’t one dimensional in the slightest- have you even been watching his game evolve over the years? His 3 ball has become a lot more consistent and his post play is now getting better.
As for Kobe v Lebron, physically Lebron is a beast. That’s pretty undeniable. But a prime Lebron beating a prime Kobe? THEY PLAY DIFFERENT POSITIONS, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ROLES. Ugh, people saying Lebron is better because he’s more physical are stupid. He’s a forward, that’s meant to be part of his job….Kobe is a SHOOTING guard and hell, he does that better than nearly anybody else has. You can discredit the 5 championships, saying they’re team accomplishments, but I’m pretty sure if you subtract the 20-30 points he scores every night the Lakers wouldn’t be winning….
Shaq is a center and most dominate player in the history of basketball. Kobe is a sg and not a all around player that Lebron is. Why would you compare a center in O’neal to a Lebron thats dumb and shows you don’t know much about basketball. Kobe is a one on one player and a scorer Lebron is more of a all around player why compare?
when u have no post up or midrange game u r one dimensional player..all he does is dunk..lebron can do everything except win and hit clutch shots ..hahahaha. i would say lebron is not even in kobes league..just ask all the legends..they will say the same thing..1st of all kobe is a scorer not a shooter..he can scorer from anywhere on the court ..kobe is clutch and lebron isnt..and never will be
This reply is for the Kobe slurper. So, let’s see…appeal to authority? Check. Wrong on things that can be actually empirically checked? Check. Not able to stay focused, so goes off on non-tengentially related comments? Check. Wipe that stuff of your chin, kid, and try to make a case for Kobe.
@kobe
Kobe can’t win a championship by himself. Not even MJ managed that. Kobe will need help in the playoffs to manage it. If they go up against OKC then they will be swept. The Heat have a good chance of winning it this year. There isn’t really a team in the East at the moment who can stop them. To me the only challengers are the Heat and the Thunder and maybe the Spurs.
@kobe. Lebron’s midrange percent is better than kobes career % (including dunks and all). Lebrons 3 pt % is better than kobe’s. Lebron has hit 17 career clutch shots on 50 attempts. Kobe bryant has hit 14 game winners on 58 attempts. Look it up, it’s the truth, for those who say lebron isn’t clutch, he’s still hit the most clutch shots of anyone else in the NBA! incuding kobe, who is 4th on the game winner list behind vince carter and ray allen. Kobe has missed more game winners than anyone in the NBA. Talk that for Clutch!! Plus one dimensional? i mean lebron isn’t even one dimensional on defense. One of the best in every single stat in the game, just behind kobe on the turnovers list however. So Kobe, you clearly have no reason for your sayings. Good luck on future agreements, just next time match kobe with someone his own level, such as vince carter.
The biggest noticeable difference between Kobe and Lebron is their mental ability to play under pressure. Lebron is mentally weak and is proven to crumble in crunch time, whereas Kobe steps up in those situations. Thats the simple factor that sets them apart. Lebron has the weaker mind. When everything is on the line, Kobe will pull through, not Lebron.
aj your a fool bro lol!! would you search kenny smith vid on youtube when he compare kobe and lebron? did you know keep taking bad 4 clutch shot but still win, because of hes team and lebron did good job than kobe to just drive the basket and get a foul or leave him alone in 4 attemp!! so you can smd now
Prix u are a fool if you don’t put Lebron in the top. To those sayign Kobe is better in his prime it really depends on what you are talkign about. Kobe is the better scorer, but Lebron is the better all around player. Both are good on D.
Nobody stopped hating on Lebron and the Heat…people just don’t care anymore to even hate…
Lebron is a great player, no doubt. The heat is a great TEAM, no doubt….but I disagree that he only needs to win one championship to shut people up, because winning one championship means he is 1-2 in the finals…not quite a legacy a “great” player should have.
Let’s just pretend Lebron James today(27 years old) will go back in time to meet Kobe Bryant(33 years old) when he was still 27 years old. I don’t think Lebron James could even match or can even beat Kobe Bryant 50% by a long shot.
good article!
one question to you, John: It seemed to me that the heat didn’t not go that much to lebron the low post in their recent winning streak opposed to the first 20 games.. do you feel the same? what about the numbers?
Prix your a complete idiot, Lebron has NOT been the best player for the last 5 years. He’s definately been the biggest choker the last 4 years. LOL give me a break. Lebron is a good player but he’s only a athletic freak not a skillful player such as his own teammate Wade or Kobe. Lebron is good but not great even though he’s great on the break and finishing at the basket but come on dude best for the last 5 years? I beg to differ.
Thank you
An athletic freak can only score at the basket I’m sure you know that Lebron can do more than that. Any player who drives in the lane in traffic is using their athleticism which is what Wade and Kobe do as well. Why do people say Durant is the best scorer, Dwight is the best big man? Because they are and everyone says Lebron is the best player in the game right now unless you have a Laker poster hanging on your wall. Check your wall I’m sure your poster is still there.
Lol, seriously he’s a freakin’ idiot.
agreed!
I don’t understand how anybody could not say he’s the best player of the last 5 years, in that time he’s had the highest PER, top 3 in ppg, tops in p/r/apg, 2 MVPs (and will win a 3rd this season) and improving his numbers as he goes along. Now who’s the moron? I’m also interested to know who you think has been better than LeBron over that period, so I can laugh at you when you say anybody that isn’t LeBron James.
Okay, I’ll take the challenge. Lebron has been great the last 5 seasons, but he’s not the only one that has been great the last 5 seasons. I think it’s really stupid that you’re so easily making him the best player, and much better than all the other players. To name a few who were also very good and very important to their team: Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Manu Ginobili, Andre Miller, Chauncey Billups, Dwayne Wade, Tim Duncan, …
At the moment I think Rose is probably the best player but he’s not in the conversation for best player in the last 5 seasons.
Kobe also isn’t in that conversation, but Kobe at his best “was” alot better than Lebron.
The greatest thing of a player that I’ve seen in the last 5 years was Wade reaching the playoffs with an awful team (maybe the worst in the league), just before James & Bosh came in.
And being the best player is not only about stats, that’s why I still include KG, Miller, Billups in that conversation.
Would Kobe have won a title without Shaq or Gasol? Yes, probably he would have, but that would have alot to do with where Shaq would’ve played. The Lakers had the 2 best players in the league on the same team.
Is Lebron going to have a ring in the future? It could happen, but I don’t think it will happen. Would he have won a championship if he stayed in Clevland? I’m pretty sure he would have, most likely last season.
“good but not great” hahaha omg, gotta love the internet, the LAND OF THE HATERS
lebron is a monster, stats don’t lie
Do you think this idiot, whether posting as Kobe or this handle, understands statistics? Not in a million years. But he does understand “5 championships!11! Ugghhh, grunt…” Nevermind that that is a team accomplishment. Look, these Kobe fans have no bullets in their guns. None whatsoever. They know it. That’s why they are single minded facile thinkers, that resort to non-sequitors and fallacious arguments.
Prove that Kobe, or Wade for that matter, are better. It should be easy. Oh, I see you’re just the earlier idiot, with a name change.
Rob I agree with you, I’m over having to try reason with these Kobe fans, coz they’ve got no sense! I don’t understand why they can’t stay on topic, or why they get all offended when people merely state facts about Lebron being great. They tend to always be like… “But Lebron bla bla bla… But MJ bla bla bla….” when they’re backed into a wall in an a debate.
I’m not the biggest fan of Kobe, but I can respect what he does as a player. Kobe is a scorer, not an all-round player like Lebron, I think if you’ve played basketball, you should know this. I don’t understand what the big deal is for Lebron to know what type of player he is, and wanting to join teammates like Wade (who’s more like Kobe) to supplment each other’s game.
To me, it takes a bigger man to share the glory with someone for the greater good of a winning team than to still trying to claim pole position even when you’re team’s not doing so well (Albeit having two or the best bigs in the game right now). Remind you of someone?
LoL Let’s see here… Magic Johnson says LeBron’s the best in the league. Even a few league coaches have said LeBron’s the best in the league. I, myself, say that LeBron is the best all-around player (defense & offense) in the league. Yet… you, another typical LeBron hater, says no? Surprise, surprise (sarcastically speaking). LOL PS: If LeBron’s not clutch, Idk how they even came close to winning against Celtics & Bulls last year in the postseason. Game 5 victory, especially? Yes. THAT was LeBron.
better than kobe in his prime? i guess you didn’t watch him from 04-06…dropping 50 points when ever he wanted like he was playing against 5th graders and kobe ws the most explosive player in the world. lebron never played against great defense, kobe played against robinson, olajawon, jordan, pippin, and the lost continues, the best lebron ever played against was kobe and thats only a couple times a year
Pretty easy to drop 50 every night when Shaq was getting double and tripple teamed. Kobe is a glorified ball hog. He is a great scorer but he is not now nor has he ever been as complete a basketball player as James. Lebron James has Larry Birds basketball IQ, Magic Johnsons skills with the basketball, The only thing he is missing is Micheal Jordan’s clutch gene. If he ever finds it there will be no question in anyones mind where he would rank. Lebron is affraid of failure and as long as you are affraid to fail you can never take the chance required to succed. I think he will find it eventually but even without it he is the most complete player playing today.
“Pretty easy to drop 50 every night”. thats when i stopped reading.
LeBron James is a great player no doubt but he has to accept that if he is to become greatER, he cannot be afraid of failure. He’s hit some game winning shots before and has taken over games MANY TIMES during the stretch.
Sounds like Kobe didn’t want to score 50 points that often. BTW, there are other aspects to basketball. But, thanks for prooving your ignorance.
“proving”
LeBron is now copying MJ, Kobe’s fadeaway… LOL
as you yourself are stating , Kobe copied Jordan. so why are you hating on Lebron
I didn’t know the fadeaway was proprietary but as long as we’re on it I guess we have to say MJ copied Bird
@Prix the Moron, maybe you haven’t seen lebron vs celtics where he scored 40+, or game 5 against celtics and bulls last season. If you don’t call that clutch, then I don’t understand what clutch means. He has been the best player for the past 5 years but that doesn’t translate to instant champion. It takes more than being the best player to win a champion.
Thats why Lebron even With Wade and Bosh and good solid bench last season Couldnt beat the Aged Mavericks lead by a 7 ft GERMAN!!! HA yeah Lebrons a winner….SIKE
What good solid bench?? and lets not act like Dallas wasnt a solid team last year. They formed a team in MIAMI and made it to the finals still trying to work out so many isssues. The league should be very afraid. They still havent reached their full peak yet.
Firstly, it’s psyche, not sike. And secondly, no one uses that term anymore, except for basement interned 40 somethings. They didn’t win last year, because James choked. There is no doubt about that. Now, if history repeats itself, than all you haters will have a gigantic point.
@Nitrodbz its called work ethics. work ethics is what lbj does not have. work ethics is what separates players like lbj and shaq from players like mj KAJ kobe. work ethics is the reason why lbj is by far the best athlete i have ever seen in my life and still cannot get into that “the greatests” category. and @basketball studies nobody (besides mavs) ever thought mavs were gon get it. so dont praise them post-fact for justification.
“Prix the Mororn” is a complete idiot. There is no debate the Lerbron is the best player in the NBA right now, and has been for the past 5 years.
Why always put LeBron as the #1 in a race-to-mvp this year when he is with DWade & Bosh. Many games won by the Heat due to DWade & Bosh krazie nites. OfcorZ there are also games when James goes on fire but nevertheless, he is playing with DWade & Bosh. Durrant could be more qualified than him or DRose who is the only Superstar in Bulls. Putting LeBron as # is garbage!
Didn’t jordan play with Pippen, Rodman, Rodman? Didn’t Kobe play with O’neal, and Harper. What does playing alongside stars have absolutely anything to do with the “MVP”? It’s all about the stats and Impact on the game. Do some research!
pedro LOL u do some research. if you did not know, MVP stands for most valuable player. if u take away lbj, miami heat has wade bosh udonis haslem. if u take away KD or kobe, OKC/Lakers fall apart. and besides that argument about rodman and pippen, as much as they were great, they were “star” caliber, not superstar. wade (minus injuries) is arguably in the top 3 players in NBA, or max top 4. miami heat has 3 olympics players on the same team. so forget about ur MJ argument. MJ had to team up with ewing and barkley for ur argument to be valid.
LOL you trippin… do your reasearch and check with Pip did in the years Jordan wasn’t there, then start yapping about people being superstars or just stars.
LOL, lol. Pippen was voted one of 50 greatest of all time and Rodman was one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history. HOF and they had a ridiculously awesome supporting cast: Kukoc, Kerr, Paxson, Harper, Armstrong, Horace Grant and 16 hard fouls in the paint per night form their 3-headed center rotation to handle Ewing. They became a great team in the second half of MJ’s career. Before that, it was a bunch of highlights and early playoff exits losing to better teams like the Celtics like Kobe without Shaq and Wade without, uh, also Shaq or LeBron. All these palyers are great but no one wins a championship. Teams do. For all of his greatness, Jordan wasn’t immortal and never got past the second round before Pippen and more of those other great players arrived and developed.
@JC Well first of Pippen carried bulls by himself only for a year (and a half), just FYE. second of all imma tell u what pippen did without jordan, 22 ppg 5.6 apg 8.7 rpg mostly his career’s very highs out of 16.1 ppg 5.2 apg 6.4 rpg (thats vs. 30.1/5.3/6.2 for MJ..). And they didnt get through semi finals, after a three-peat. Common man Jordan’s worst season ppg-wise was 20/3.8/6.1. As much as Pippen was key to all of bulls champs, its just a simple fact that Jordan and Pippen are not in the same category. May be let me say it slower so you understand well – jordan needed 4 other teammates on the court no doubt, but they did not have to be stockton barkley malone and ewing.
You must be a hater LBJ has been playing like an MVP all season
Kobe had Shaq, Horry, Shaw, Harper and now has Fisher, Artest, Gasol, Bynum as he won all those “5 rings” that you can boast all ever you want kobe s*ckers. After the Lakers lost in 2004 Finals, Who the hell is Kobe during 2005-2007? Those years when his teammates were Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Radmanovic, yes he scores 40-50+ points, but did your Lakers won championships those years? Or did they even reached west semis? They did not until they got Pau Gasol, morons.
LBJ, all he had in Cleveland was Big Z, Snow, Marshall, Varejao, Hughes, and other minimum payed players yet he reached the god damn NBA Finals, yes they were swept, I don’t think he choked, but seriously? He brought the Cavs to the Finals, morons.
Kobe, Shaq and some good players like Fisher and Horry were teammates since ’96, they won they’re first ring in 2000 and it’s the first time they’ve reached Finals, eh?
LBJ, Wade, Bosh + not so quality bench(2011 Finals), MADE THE FINALS IN THEIR FIRST YEAR TOGETHER? YES, MORONS!
2 Ts dude, Teammates and Time wins championships.
Hate Morons, I totally agree with you.
Great point about his time in Cleveland, when he had that supporting cast, the argument from the haters was that he had to do it all, so his numbers are inflated. The cognitive dissonance is remarkable. Consistency is not the haters’ strong suit.
nice one….two thumbs up!!!
ur no so quality bench otherwise known as udonis haslem is the reason why u did so poorly while haslem was out for injury and y u did so great in playoffs when he came back. that and also ur very significant scorers, chalmers and and james jones. kind of ungrateful for a miami fan.
LBJ is great. It’s you die-hard LBJ fans that are ruining him…
Stop crowning him prematurely. If he’s that good..then win a championship. That’s all. Stop defending him until that time comes. You guys want to crown him the best before being the best and that’s why you have to defend him so much. If he’s so great, you won’t need to defend him, his accomplishments will just speak for themselves.
But you know….one championship with Cleveland would have been worth a lot more than 3 championships with the Heat (Wade, Bosh, and co).
He screwed his legacy up himself…common…accept it.
Its not only about the ring prix does lebron james can score 40+ points in consecutive games? does lebron cant choke in one game in the finals? does lebron james can carry his team without dwade for the whole playoffs/season and win a championship? NO. That’s why kobe’s better than Lebron. I’m not hating on lebron i just hate his bandwagon fans. I’m a big Laker and kobe fan. MJ>Kobe>Lebron/Durant>Rose
Well when has Kobe ever won anything without a great 1-2 punch? He had Shaq for his first three and now has the Laker Bigs (best frontline in the league). Tell me which year Lebron had any top 5 players playing with him? First time was playing with Wade and they went to the Finals so let’s see what he can do with a good supporting cast for once before we start criticizing him.
And FYI: No great player has ever won a championship by himself. Jordan had Pippen. ‘Nuff Said.
remember Hakeem Olajuwon. He won in 94´ with Otis Thope as the next best player, but he still had a very good supporting cast. Its not just about 1 or 2 players. its about the whole team including the coach and the coaching staff. wake up guys. most of the commentary is childish. either Lebron is way better thern Kobe or the other way around. realize that they are both great players and that its impossible to say who´s the best.
Wade had a better team than LBJ when he went to Finals, that’s 1, Kobe NEVER CARRIED HIS TEAM. SHAQ Was the Finals MVP FOR THE Lakers 3-PEAT. Shaq was the Leading scorer on that Lakers team and the 2000 Regular season MVP. The Lakers were Shaqs team, not Kobes. Not to mention Kobe has a worse % in hitting late game shots than LeBron. Kobe without Shaq didn’t even sniff a Semis in the playoffs and was crying about leaving until they got him Pau. LBJ took a horrible team to the Finals. Wade didn’t do that, Kobe didn’t do that. Wade was the leader on his team, but he had a great supporting cast. Kobe wasn’t even the leader of his team, Shaq was, and until Kobe got better players he couldn’t leave the first round. LeBron took a team that without him drafted #1 overall…That’s how good LeBron is. Kobe isn’t on MJ’s level, and without Shaq, they wouldn’t even talk about him being top 10 ever.
Jordan himself said Kobe is only one who should ever be compaired to him. Larry said he would team up with Kobe if he wanted to win, win, win, and with Lebrenda if he wanted to have fun. HaHaHa. Enough said!
did u miss 2009 and 2010 finals ?
Lebron has not been playing all 4 quarters, so yes he can put up 40+ pts each game! Remember, we have 3 all stars not just one. So there is no need for Lebron to have to do all the work and ball hog…Its Team Heat, not Team Lebron, unlike Team Lakers aka Team Kobe, since he is all they have he needs to put up those pts!
There’s a lot of one sided arguments going on. Lebron has Dwade & Bosh and role players, Kobe has Bynum and Pau and role players, Rose has stars and solid role players that make his team easier to carry, Durant has Westbrook and solid role players. Paul has Griffin, Jordan, and Butler. Duncan has Parker, Ginobili and a deep squad. So every team has a combination of multiple stars minus depth or depth minus multiple stars. Teams with multiple stars have more pressure on the stars. Teams with depth have less pressure on the stars. Everyone has the same chance as the next guy to get MVP. I think Lebron has this one thus far unless a lot changes from now until the playoffs. I think CP3 and Durant have been great offensively, but Lebron does both. By the numbers Kobe is the leading scorer but attempts more shots than anyone, plays more minutes, has a lower FG% and last nights game against the Wolves shows how much of a stat stuffer Kobe is. They played the Wolves without Love playing and they were up 27 points and Kobe was in the game until the final minutes. Lebron would have been sitting on the bench relaxing good with his 20+ pts, 8 rebs, 7 asts.
not one example you mentionned above had 3 USA olympics team players on the same team. its basically a counter-argument lol
Kobe never did any of that you tool, so your whole argument is sunk by your very own words. Wow. This is some scary stuff. Critical thinking is not taught in schools anymore and you can see the proof in basketball forum. SMH.
lebron is awsome
FOR 3 QUARTERS
Last reply as you just don’t warrant any more attention. James has led the league in 4th quarter scoring more than Kobe. He shoots a much higher % in the 4th quarter for his career than Kobe. I know you’re immune to facts (thinking hurts for you), but do try to educate yourself and stop being so ignorant.
Who do you put above LeBron in the past 5 years? He is going to get his 3rd MVP in 4 seasons. Choker in the play-offs is true, but we’re talking regular season. Not a skillful player though? What skill is missing?
the skill to show up in big games.
How can ,you, people people continuously keep saying he isn’t great or even a great player?. He shoots 10 times better than d-wade who is more of a miracle man, who cant shoot 3′s. Lebron is as skilled as any player in the NBA. he is a choker too? now c’mon he has had 1 bad playoff experience last year in the 4′th quarter. (A bad playoff which led to the finals) Yet his playoff numbers a off the charts… He is obviously gonna be a hall of famer player, with or within any rings.
I understand the Kobe folks who is scared of LeBron but c’mon now. He has been a top 2 player the past 5 years like or not. Kobe hasn’t.
Lebron can’t play the post. even earl boykins can guard him in the post because he just can’t.
with wade or without wade lebron still puts up same numbers
LEBRON IS THE MOST (COMPLETE) PLAYER IN THE LAST FEW YEARS…. O-FENSE & D-FENSE… DID (HE) CHOKE IN THE FINALS ETC. ??? I DONT THINK SO…. WHAT WOULD U DO AS AN UNSEFLISH PLAYER WITH BEING SURROUNDED BY OTHER TALENT THAT IS JUST AS GOOD ??? THIS MAN CAN’T GET A BREAK…HE COULDNT GET IT DONE IN CLEVELAND DUE TO NOT ENOUGH TALENT THAT WANTED TO STEP UP IN KEY TIMES…THEN HE GETS ENOUGH TALENT IN MIA BUT WANTS TO SHOW THAT HE IS A (TEAM) PLAYER 1ST & NOT THE FACE OF THE TEAM & HE CATCHES HEAT (NO PUN INTENDED) FOR THAT…..
HIS TIME WILL COME SOONER THAN SOME MAY THINK..HE JUST NEEDED TO ADJUST TO WHATEVER ROLE HE WAS GOING TO PLAY IN MIA…STAY TUNED.
BUT YES…….HE HAS BEEN THE MOST (COMPLETE) PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HANDS DOWN… GREAT PLAYERS FILL THE STAT SHEET SUCH AS HE DOES NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT & HE HS BEEN THE GREATEST AT IT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS…
Didn’t choke in the finals? LOL go look at his stats for the finals befoer you open your idiodic mouth. And while it may be true he’s the most complete player, he’s not THAT amazing on D and he can’t show up in big games. Like Larry Bird said, you want a better team go get lebron, if you need the win, go Kobe
What Bird said can be true, but honestly? Get Kobe? Try to put your Kobe on Bobcats roster right now, no other changes, just add him up, I think they’ll win 10 games for the rest of the season.
I think Larry Bird said and I qoute ” If you want to have fun, then play with Lebron, and if you want to win play with Kobe: unqoute. Up to this point of the season I think it has to be switched around, play with kobe have fun and play with Lebron and win. No back to Lebron. He came out of high school in 2003 So being that he is in his 8th year of the NBA he still has to work on somethings, like foot work, post moves. His post moves % is the highest in the league as I’m sure your read in the article above. There’s 5 posistions to be played. Point guard, shooting guard, small forward , power forward and then center. Out of those five Lebron can play 4 of them. I still think it’s a big % of the coaching staff to prepare the team with a game plan. It’s all about mis-match in the NBA. So to the heat coaching staff get the tapes out and get it right……….. Pat R. should know that…………………….
Ya people actually began calling him a choker the same game he had a tripple double and Heat won game 3 with him scoring less than 20. It’s just ignorance for not understanding that being in the spotlight is not the only way to win games
This Year is Miamis Year. Lebron James Finals MVP. i wanna see kobe vs James in the finals but there is OKC, so its ok, Wade defense on westbrook and james on durant will stop OKC.
IF I GO On A FAST BREAK AnD I GOT jORDAn On THE LEFT AnD JAMES On THE RIGHT , I GIVE IT TO jAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
If the Lakers would face OKC in the playoffs, “SWEPT” baby.
Don’t judge nor hate these athletes. Just love the sport as we all know the skill isn’t earned or bought. It’s a blessing from god and we all should enjoy watching.
Thank you
Hey Prix the moron, you’re telling us like you’ve seen all lebron games since he’s rookie. mj got bad games, kobe as well, and so lebron, all of them have their lowest point but they are good clutch players and choking sometimes are part of their games. in other words lebron still one of the best. sorry for my bad english.
Thank you!
Lebron isnt even the best player on HIS TEAM, let alone the NBA.
go lebron super idol!!!!!!
NO FEAR WADE over LEBRON any day of the week
Lebron is a great player but he needs to learn to get the job done first then show off as he wants
because a champ can say what he wants, ask MJ or Mamba
Ok so Lebron Is an amazing player, there is no doubt about that, his athleticism does help him in every part of his game but the man is talented, you gotta at least give him that. He isn’t better than Kobe in his prime, but then again Kobe has played in the league a lot longer than Bron which means Kobe is more experienced, played more seasons, and has developed his overall game more than James, so we will see how LBJ develops and what he does in his career. So @prix you are an idiot, and as much as I love LBJ he isnt at the level you claim he is at at this point in his career.
Wow, so few comments but so much hate for one player. From an objective standpoint I believe many will consider Lebron James to be the best basketball player for the past 5 years. But if two consecutive MVP awards and an outstanding and consistent all-around game is not enough to be considered as such then I don’t know what is.
Btw, I also believe that haters should be hating the game itself and not the players.
I admire Kobe for one thing, staying wth the lakers his whole career. Props……….the same cannot be said for any other superstar basically.
No he was drafted to the hornets and begged to be trade to the lakers so your wrong about him stay with one team his whole career
lebron never demanded a trade tho, kobe did tho as soon as he lost his other superstar he demanded a trade. Lebron finished his contract.
didnt kobe B*tch in 2005-2006 season.. that he wanted to be traded?.. Lebron is a better all around player hands down.. no one is even close to puttin up his stats (besides me
lol).. and lebron has always had Kobes jersey… check the stats Cavaliers vs Lakers match ups.. and see who has came out with the W in those series and that would be lebron. kobe in his primse scored 81 now thats crazy. but lebron almost averaging triple doubles each season is something kobe never was even in his prime. lets see.. lets take out shaq in the 3peat.. kobe would have 2 rings. take out paul gasol.. kobe would have no rings. Lebron Makes other players better. kobe makes other players mad for ball hogging.
Laker Fans are ignorant af and thats why i laugh every time lakers lose cause in L.A hell breaks loose hahaha.
I THINK ITS A GOOD LOOK FOR LEBRON TO FINALLLY LEARN POST MOVES. THATS WHAT SEPERATES GOOD PLAYERS FORM THE BEST. THE BEST IS NO STOPPING THEM . HAVING EVERY ARCENAL POSSIBLE TO USE WITHOUT NO FLAWS.. MAGIC, BIRD, OLJWN, KOBE. POST , PERIM, INSIDE, OUT THEY HAVE IT ALL .. AND LEBRON IS STILL LEARNING POST MOVES AND YALL HAVE HIM STILL AT NUMBER ONE??? I DONT KNOW WHAT YALL SEE IN THE MAN OTHER THAN BIG ATHLETIC BALL PLAYER. ISNT D HOWARD AND BLAKE THE SAME?? IDK
LBJ is certainly the best all around player in the league for the past 5 years, he is at the lvl of magic johnson easly.
Kobe is a scorer and that is what people likes. But basketball is a 5 man game, and Lebron puts a lot more movement and creates much more opportunities for his teammates than kobe does.
And for the record, i guarantee you that if lebron took as many shots as kobe, he would easly grab +40 points a game WITH MUCH BETTER FG, but he doesn’t need to, he got Bosh and Wade.
Lebron in the lakers > Kobe in the lakers
Really interesting article and good use of state. A couple of questions I have.
Some questions that I have.
i) Does FG% usually decrease as a player takes more shots in the paint?: The idea would be that as LB takes more shots his defenders work him out more. He needs a wider variety of post moves. So keeping it up to .99 given his increased rate may be impressive.
ii) How does it compare to other players posting up?: I guess it’s quite hard to compare LB with other players as he’s reasonable unique in posting from the 3. How does he compare to Kobe, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and others (can’t think of anyone else right now…).
iii) How does it compare to isolation plays?: A post up is quite good if your team isn’t connecting. It’s an isolation play basically and can create doubles and free up other players and get the whole team moving. Not every play is the same. Some have to be used a certain times when other things aren’t working. So how does it compare to Isolation plays as I think in a way they are quite similar (just the location is different).
iv) starting point: when comparing LB against other players can the statistics take into account where he starts with the ball. T Chandler I imagine is going to get the ball very close to the basket whereas we saw with the videos above Lebron starts somewhere closer to the 3 point line.
lebron brought the cavs to the playoff and nba finals with the lineup he has on his team..kobe had shaq and a lot of good players in his team when he won his first three championship…but I’m not taking anything away from kobe he does work hard on his game but do anyone think miami will be in the finals last year without lebron..common guys..i agree he doesn’t seem to want the ball in last minute or when the game is on the line but we don’t really know why his like that…his going in to something that only him knows..i stopped watching basketball when jordan retired but when lebron came out and play, i almost have the same feeling, the excitement ,never feel that about kobe or anyone..when his ready for it , whatever his afraid off ..then will see…
Great article. I am going to be real, I’ve never seen anything like Lebron. I’ve seen players good at one or two things but never one that excel in everything. I loved watching MJ play back in the day but not more that watching Magic Johnson. Still, I’ve never seen anything like Lebron James. If I am not mistaking MJ was about 28 years old when he won his first championship. I watched him hit 61 points a game and still he couldn’t win until he got help. Pippen was a force to reckon with. I love the game of basketball and there were great players since the beginning but the game has evolved. I was awe struck when MJ use to fly through the air but everyone does that now. There are guys that never won championships and I think that they are still great. I loved Patrick Ewing and he never won a championship. I love KD, Westbrook is one of my favorites, D. Rose, I love all of those guys but Lebron is the best my eyes have seen. He is better than MJ in my opinion. Heck, Kobe is better than MJ in my opinion. Stay in the game as long as MJ and they will break any record that he set. Kobe has already broke some of them. The game evolves. Today Lebron is the best but tomorrow it might be someone else. The competition is fierce and these kids are only getting better.
I agreed both Kobe and Lebron are increditable players., but my man, you are talking about The greatest player of all time MJ, who is a global icon and ultimate messurement for basketball players. To say Kobe and Lebron is better than MJ, I do NOT agree at all. To say someone stays in the league long enough will shatter MJ’s record, that’s even more crazy. Please check MJ’s career acheivements
GO LEBRON!! GO HEAT!!
When shaq left lakers, kobe didnt make finals next year. One of the reasons was that his team was rubbish. Probably same as lebrons team when he left them(they finished second from the end when he left) and he still managed to get the best record in that season in nba… Interesting…
lebron has been known to change the NBA world with his talent, he can pretty much do anything he needs to do to win a game. but what i mostly like about him is that he can control himself and allow his other teamates to put points on the board. i believe that there is never a perfect player, lebron is awesome but, he is not perfect. seeing from the videos, he cant really be perfect. thought, lebron will be hard to tame.
i feel like after reading this article and reading the comments my IQ just dropped dramatically. saying kobe is better than lebron or even mentioning a comparison? THE GUY JUST HIT HIS PRIME THIS SHOULD NOT BE IN DISCUSSION YOU IDIOTS!!!! and the purpose of this article?!?!?!?!?!?! THIS IS LEBRON’S BEST SEASON EVER!!!!- EVEN BETTER THAN THE ANY YEAR HE’S PLAYED FOR THE CAV’S (also a sign of him hitting his prime). all of the guys stats are through the roof and if any of you idiots know a thing about basketball you would not player efficiency rate is the most important stat (especially over the non-sense this article is posting in regards to statistics) and lebron is TIED with the best player efficency rate Jordan had in his career and is slightly behind Wilt’s best PER he had twice in his career. Now, to put this into perspective for everyone who is blabbering about non-sense, LeBron is playing at a level higher than anyone has played since MJ and Wilt. Is it ironic that it is during the same season where he developed a post-game??????????????? I can’t believe this article has been posted or that half the people commenting are allowed to make such absurd statements.
When talking about Kobe and rings remember the lakers three peat, and that SHAQ 3peated finals mvp..
KAZAMMM!
LeBron consistently puts up O. Robertson like numbers. There are only a few players in history who dominate at everything and LeBron is one of them. I am more of a Kobe fan than a LeBron fan but how can anyone deny the value of a player who averages 27+ ppg, 7 + rpg,, 7+ apg, year after year while shooting at 50% from the floor despite not being a center or pf. LeBron, as far as pure basketball ability, could be the best ever. No he is not as accomplished as Kobe or MJ as a team player but then again LeBron is only in his 2nd year with a team that should be a strong title contender.
lebron is a very talented player and he makes everyone around him a better player. He is not selfish because he looks for his team mate at all time. Wade and Bosh learn alot about lebron on and off the court as well. Without lebron james miami wouldnt of made it to the playoff lastyear. Not everyone has a good game because if that was the case then everyone would be undefeated. I hate when people consistantly hate on lebron and try to compare him with legends all of the word. Lebron is still yound and still learning make the guy enjoy his self cause all those people that is hating cant even play the game of basketball. If they could of play the game of basketball then they would of something better to do than to be hating on another player!!!
LETRAVEL JAMES !!!!!!!! C’mon ! How come american referees do not see those travels . (see 3rd action of the 1st video, he CLEARLY switches his pivot foot) ! I know they don’t call everything in order to allow a faster game and show-time plays but this is just getting stupid !
Kobe better than LeBron?It can be decided by one word: DEFENSE. Thank you very much,good bye i love you all
look i am a kobe fan ill be honest yes you must know how to lose before u learn how to win but kobe is older so ya i give him the better player easily cause he has accomplished alot ya lebron is a freak athelite but look at what happens when he makes it to the big games he either gives up or is afraid to “Make the big shot” larrry bird is right ill take lebron if i want a all round team but in the end if i want a win ill take Kobe cause why do we play the game!!!!!! TO WIN right ya the stats may be different but u play to win and lebron took himself out of the conversation of being one of the best wen he joined wade and bosh like larry and magic both said u dont join the best you play against them to become one of the best.
lets talk about the 08´finals and the 10´ finals. Where was Kobe when they lost to the Celts in 08´. No where to be found. In 10´ he went 6-24 in the decisive game 7 and had to be bailed out by the player formerly known as Ron Artest and 23 team offensive rebounds. That was´nt exactly clutch was it! I don´t wanna hate, but i can´t help my self after those finals series because Kobe was disappointing.
Easy to say for magic or bird. Lakers management gave magic Jabbar, Worthy, Scott. Boston had very strong team. Who cavs had? I can barely remember. He couldnt wait and pray that one day in year 2025 they give him somebody and didnt want to risk that he goes somewhere else and same thing will happen again. He wanted titles…
Kobe had that even easier: Shaq, phil jackson, glen rice, clutch horry, gasol, artest, odom and got lucky with fisher (wont mention payton and malone). The biggest star that lebron was given is jamison and sorry antawn but…
This article is TOO DAMN ST*P*D!
Do you really expect him to go more to the FT line while he’s shooting with a better % and he’s going to the hole with way too much efficiency? He’s just shooting with more confidence, not risking to fail the lay-up or reach the rim.
Man, he has gone 120 times by now down the paint, and he’s at the half of the season, you can’t tell us he’s losing 7% of times going to the line because his percentage on the line is +o- 75%, while he’s just loosing less than a 9% of times going on there.
This article is just an absurd view of another hater trying to focus on weird things. Go on and take a look at his EFF… Even better than Chamberlain, no more words needed in here.
who cares about numbers, Kobe win games slash championships. Plus look what Kobe is doing now, he is caring his team.
Kobe is better than lebron!!! talk about lebron when he has a ring. He puts up good numbers all game and chokes in the fourth.
blalalahahaha sure he is! in YOUR OWN LIL FANTASY WORLD!
These people posting about Lebron James not being the best player for several years now, should seriously lose all credibility and be instantly ruled as a troll and moved to the bottom of the forum threads so I don’t have to read useless posts. I am not a Lebron fan, he reminds me of a middle linebacker running through a bunch of preschoolers, but you can’t argue that he has made the most impact to a team in recent history. To compare him to a pure scorer like Kobe, who couldn’t carry his team to the finals without a VERY good supporting, cast is silly. Double team Kobe and he’s going to pull up for the 35 footer with 4 hands in his face and ‘might’ make it, and we call him clutch. Double team Lebron he will find the open man EVERY time. You simply can’t argue the facts and to do so is claiming ignorance. You should stop wasting everyone’s time.
Lebron James is one of the most complete players in the league no doubt. Lebron can play the 1-4 positions, although he’s originally a small forward. Lebron can cover anybody on the hardwood, just ask former MVP Derick Rose that. Of coarse we all know he can score the basketball. The only thing left for Lebron to do is win a ring. I’m not crazy over Labron but real basketball fans give credit where credits due.
Bron will win 2 or 3 championships no question about it but I’ll always pick Kobe over him! Mentally he operates on a different level and Lebron hasn’t got that kind of confidence and never will! Kobe said that he want’s to be remembered as an overachiever and when you compare talents of Kobe and Lebron the logical conclusion is that he has already succeeded!
Lebron James is a better player then Kobe and a better Athelete only thing Kobe Bryant have on Lebron James is Clutch gene and rings. Lebron James number is better then Kobe while Kobe was in his prime. When Kobe won them 1st 3 Championship it was Shaq that help him who got the 1st 3 MVPs it was shaq Lebron James is the best thing since Jordan era.
Because you guys are comparing KB24 with lebron means something! KB24 is old and still compared with younger players. So that means if KB24 was in his prime, the rest of nowadays players aren’t even close! 80′s -> decade of Magic&Bird, 90 -> decade of IncrediBulls MJ23, 2000′s -> decade of KB24!
old? what is he? 38?
I want to see a 1 v 1 contest during the All Star Break. Enough of this slam dunk, 3 pt contests. I’m pretty sure everyone would love to see a Kobe vs. Lebron match up. haha,
First video, post up on derozan BIG time travel. But james is too big/strong not to take advantage of it. As most great players age, they eventually all use their knowledge in the post. Way more positives then negatives in James backing down players.
Lebron is more efficient in scoring, defending, and sharing the ball. Lebron >Kobe. lebron will win many championships with the heat. all he need to do is get the first one so that the curse may b broken. he is the best player i have ever seen since watching basketball. i know people say MJ is the best of all time, but in my opinion i will chose lebron over mj any day. Kobe is great but lebron is better.
I agree Lebron is the best player overall ( i’m a Laker fan and obv a Kobe fan ) but Lebron will never do what Kobe has done, Yes Kobe did win with Shaq but check the stats Kobe was very close to Shaq in scoring, i’m not trying to take anything away from Shaq either because i know he was the most dominant player in his era but it was a good combo both did their parts and still Kobe wins 2 more titles with Pau Gasol and still ppl hate on Kobe, please get over it he will always be one of the greats and will always be compared with the greats, until Lebron wins titles he wont be and yes he did join up with 2 other superstars which will always haunt? him even if he does win titles. JUST IMO PLEASE DONT HATE
In my mind, kobe is the best of all times comparing to mj or lebron. There are three reasonable reason that I can come up with to support my idea. Firstly, i am cold. Secondly, I am pee, lastly, kobe takes pee.
CLUTCH = RINGS
something lebron has yet to prove.
hahaha stop the argument between these two players,, they are average compared to MJ, hahaha..he is the greatest and i can prove that.
Reading these comments makes me sad. These people aren’t basketball fans, they’re fanboys of one player, and one player only. Having a favorite player is great, but if it makes you turn a blind eye to the talents of others, or even worse spend your time trying to discredit them, then your making all fans of that player look bad along with you. Lebron and Kobe are great players, and I for one enjoy seeing them improve their games.
Kobe is a good scorer i’ll give him that he has 5 rings i’ll give him that too. but remember he had shaq one of the most dominant centers to play the game of basektball on his team. then he had three 7 footers on his team: pau, odom, bynum. rings = team effort, MVP = individual award. i dont blame lebron for going to MIA because he needs his wade like kobe needed shaq. or like how pierce needed KG and rayray. this whole “big 3″ where allstars hook up was happening back in the old days example showtime lakers. i think LBJ went to MIA so he could have a “clutch” guy to finish out games aka D. wade. lebron was the go to guy in cleveland but he’s more of a team player and defers which isnt bad at all. its better than kobe taking 28 field goal attempts. he is a bit of a ball hog like carmelo.
lebron IMO is still pretty young may not even be in his prime. lebron takes half as many shot attempts than kobe and still puts the same (or more) points then kobe. and a BONUS is that lebron has good ball handling skills so he can dish it to the other guys on his team. on the other end he is a DEFENSIVE beast. he’s got his chase down block off the backboard PATTONED. and pretty good at steals. and with wade on his team you know thats gonna be easy buckets (full court alleyoop in Indiana last season.)
Lebron working on his post game is just expanding his game since he can dunk and shoot 3′s already. so now he just needs to work on mid range and he’ll be unstoppable. Keep in mind the “big 3″ made it to the finals in their first year together and even almost won the championship. give him 2-3 more years and he’ll have a ring. bet on it. heck they could even win it all this year with the condensed 66 game season.
LBJ – (CURRENT) best all around player in the NBA
KB24 – (CURRENT) best scorer in the NBA
nuff said
i jus wanna see epic battle between WADE and LEBRON again…
i jus wanna see WADE and LEBRON unleash their full potential without having to have to share the moment…
Lebronze James is too clumsy to be an effective post player
Kobe is a good scorer i’ll give him that he has 5 rings i’ll give him that too. but remember he had shaq one of the most dominant centers to play the game of basektball on his team. then he had three 7 footers on his team: pau, odom, bynum. rings = team effort, MVP = individual award. i dont blame lebron for going to MIA because he needs his wade like kobe needed shaq. or like how pierce needed KG and rayray. this whole “big 3″ where allstars hook up was happening back in the old days example showtime lakers. i think LBJ went to MIA so he could have a “clutch” guy to finish out games aka D. wade. lebron was the go to guy in cleveland but he’s more of a team player and defers which isnt bad at all. its better than kobe taking 28 field goal attempts. he is a bit of a ball hog like carmelo.
lebron IMO is still pretty young may not even be in his prime. lebron takes half as many shot attempts than kobe and still puts the same (or more) points then kobe. and a BONUS is that lebron has good ball handling skills so he can dish it to the other guys on his team. on the other end he is a DEFENSIVE beast. he’s got his chase down block off the backboard PATTONED. and pretty good at steals. and with wade on his team you know thats gonna be easy buckets (full court alleyoop in Indiana last season.)
Lebron working on his post game is just expanding his game since he can dunk and shoot 3′s already. so now he just needs to work on mid range and he’ll be unstoppable. Keep in mind the “big 3″ made it to the finals in their first year together and even almost won the championship. give him 2-3 more years and he’ll have a ring. bet on it. heck they could even win it all this year with the condensed 66 game season.
KB24 could have had less championchips, if counting injuries the end of jordan era brought grant hill and penny hardaway that could of deny KB24 some champions. As for Lebron in his time as a Cav, they could not ever find him that second guy, He did take Cavs to one Finals. Lets not forget last year Heat went to the Finals and unlike the Celtics big 3, there big 3 fought 10 plus years to get 1. The Celtics big 3 found chemistry faster than the Heat. The Jordan comparison starts now as a Heat, We kno he is not Russell. So can Lebron athletic gifts produce 6 or more rings or is he just good for 1. Jordan beat Pistsons, Pitsons rebuild later, beats Celtics and they rebuild. Lebron beats Pitsons and Celtics look like there on last leg
LeBron is complete basketball player in the league for past few years and maybe next few years.
For those who say Kobe is legend and better than Lebron because he got 5 rings.
Robert Horry got 7 rings means better than MJ and KB24. Enough said.
Robert Horry isn’t even in the same category as Kobe and Lebron, so don’t bring him up. Compare role players with role players. Compare stars with starts. Compare greats with greats.
If you don’t want to play by these obvious rules, then: Scalabrini1 ring, Lebron, ZERO…nuff said.
Man kobe and LeBron is both a fantastic player and you can argue all year round and not one single person from commentators to critics can say one can’t handle a candle to the other. so we know kobe got all the points and all the rings but we also know the unstopable dude who everyone is calling the king for the exception of the haters,so why are we lowering both their rep by saying they are only good and not fantastic player.coz if both of them is only good,then the nba doesn’t have a single guy who is great and i won’t be watching the nba.
lets just say lebron james is the best small foward in the world
and kobe is the best shooting guard in the world
lebron james is like a magic johnson while kobe is like a michael jordan lets not compare when they play different positions
You say lebron made it to the finals when he was on a worthless cavs team, and thats your reason for him being better. Than why could he not win with wade? His cavs team was worse then the heat team he is on now, and so a better overall team plus wade….should be wasy for lebron to win right? nope because lebron is not a winner. You also say hes good because he got 2 mvp awards….umm steve nash won 2 in a row and i dont see you arguing for nash. MVP is overated and kobe should have at least 3, and howard should have at least 1. Stop saying lebron is better than kobe, maybe at the end of his career he will go down as superior to kobe, but not today, and not soon.
I think kobe is better than lebron not because of the championship, but because of clutch, you can be a star dominating the regular season and posting great averages, but the studs are shown in a game 7 of an nba finals, where lebron was always failing, i still remember when he missed the hoop in a free throw against the spurs, instead kobe is lethal in the fourth quarter of EVERY game.
Perception>fact ?
Lebron’s problem is psychology he fears failure. That and his post game are 2 things he is gunna work on this season. There are many stories of sporting greats who overcome there constant fear failure to finally just play regardless of situation, and ultimately win.
Lebron is rare in that he buckles under severe pressure yet still plays well in a clutch game, just showing his potential.
Lebrons has a lot of improving to do, he probably will be twice the player in 2 or 3 years time
Kobe is my most likeable player, Lebron is the best player…..once you start hating ur losing, you’ll never win an argument
St. John, you mentioned Bird said hed rather play with Kobe to win, but you forgot to mention that Bird also said, “Lebron James is by far the best player in the League”
KOBE will beat LBJ one on one, period. Kobe is better than Lebron any day on any team. Team wise, LBJ is a better team mate.
HATERS….. Lebron is the best in the game right now. The kid is learning and learning fast, he will only get better. HATERS just sit back and enjoy the ride. The kid is the best thing that happen to the NBA since Mr. Air Jordan.
Its honestly about the players mentality. Take Iggy for example. There is no denying that he is one of the best athletes in the L. Early in his career he went hard trying to score. But eventually he found his calling. He is a do-it-all-guy. More of a facilitator, he would probably really shine on the Lakers next to Kobe. Now LeBron is that Man. PERIOD. Only thing LeBron has always been the man. The game is easy for my man because he is a pure athlete. His mentality is more team oriented than that of Kobes. Kobe is very talented but its his will to win and keep winning that separates himself from anybody else. I look at TMAC AND VC like damn they both couldve outplayed Kobe. Kobe had a goal and went for it, partly b/c he had already experienced early success. Now Lebron was drafted along with the hype as the savior of the franchise, he was expected by himself to take that Cavs team from 0 to the top.
Great my ***. LeBron can’t even play through an injured elbow while Kobe will play with an injured wrist and finger. If Kobe can drop 40pts on four occasions this season with his injuries imagine what he can do without them. Oh wait, he already showed us, 81pts.
I AM SO getting tired of all these stat comparison mumbo jumbo. talk to me when the player you are rooting for is WINNING, most especially the FINALS…to hell with athleticism, monster stats, leading a weak team to the finals, or riding with a powerpacked team to the finals…at the end of the season, all that matters is who gets the JEWELLRY, am i right? lebron, durant, rose, wade, cp3, kobe..whatever numbers they put up with…regardless the number of highlights they get, the buzzer beaters they made, and the game winners they have nailed…come JUNE all that matters is the finals. i just hate all these comparisons and whatevers…if you like a player, then support him, support his team. quit bashing the competition. that just shows how intimidated you are. just ENJOY THE GAME, LOVE THE GAME. i am a true blue LAKER FAN since the 80′s. i literally started to watch basketball seeing my dad rooting for the lakers and i pursued that father and son legacy. to me, i think the best laker in history is KOBE. i am not a stat freak. but the one who’s name that shines across nations, that’s simply the best for me. this is sports. this is entertainment. KOBE’s fame is off the charts. ask a basketball in china, what does he know about the lakers, and there’s a huge possibility he could come up with one name. that’s just an example. it’s a competitive world out there. but at the final moment. the TRUE WINNER takes it all. i don’t care if kobe and the lakers make or break it this season. but i still stick to my team. and never have i felt the desire to bash on other players reputation. i am pretty much confident of what lakers have, changing rosters and all, that no amount of stats or superstars can intimidate me. SO STFU you comparisons freak. the dude who wrote this merely shared us some stats of lebron, all you come up with are “this is the best, this is better than that, this is gonna be the future, this is blah blah blah…” what mentality do you guys have anyways? have you even ACTUALLY TRIED PLAYING THE GAME to get to such state of thinking or are you just riding the bandwagon?
****** “ask a basketball fan in CHINA” (see i am having the fits after reading all the weird comments up there.)
Now, I’m seein all these hater comments lmao, and I won’t lie I’ve been the Lebron hater myself, and I will always stand behind the fact that Kobe skillwise is greater than Lebron James. Now I’m not saying Lebron is a bad player, he’s got 2 mvps, he defends very well (Die hard kobe fans like myself seem to think Lebron has bad defense but that is not the case at all) and his superior athleticism, speed, and strength combined with his court vision allows him to put up good numbers across the board. I’ve always hated Lebron for one reason, the man absolutely refuses or is incapable of developing a solid midrange or post up game, he frustratingly CONSTANTLY relies on his immensely superior physique, which is basically y he fails when it counts. In the fourth quarter and ESPECIALLY the playoffs teams will do a very good job of clogging the paint and rotating to stop any form of penetration, now this is where the great winners (Kobe, Bird, Jordan, etc…) excell and take over with their amazing mid range game, aswell as their solid ability to shoot freethrows. Look at Boston, when they won, Paul Pierce was their go-to guy and before u start screamin he had 2 hall of famers, Pierce was their main man by far, and if u study some Paul Pierce tape u will notice his amazing mid range game, which is nearly impossible to stop unless hes havin a bad day. End of the day if u wanna take over when it counts, you need a reliable midrange game and you have to knock down those freethrows, Lebron lacks a midrange game and misses his freethrows, its the reason he loses and its y i choose Kobe ne day of the week.
Im a Laker fan , and they are both great players , Lebron has definatley been the best player over the past two or three years and i love watching him play with his athleticism and his great D , but i’d still have kobe . Kobe has the better Basketball I.Q and is just a beast in the 4th . Just ask yourself who you’d rather have in a game 7 ?
For whoever said Lebron was one dimensional, instead of posting some asinine comment, lets look at statistics:
career triple-doubles:
Lebron = 35 (in 8.5 seasons)
Kobe = 18 (in 15.5 seasons)
not to mention career averages… Kobe certainly isn’t one dimensional either, but you can’t just ignore the stats
LBJ in CAVS: made MIKE BROWN coach of the year; made MO WILLIAMS LOOK LIKE an all star, brought CAVS to the playoffs several times
LBJ in MIA: what happened to MIKE BROWN, MO WILLIAMS and the rest of the CAVS?
DJ NAILED IT RIGHT ON THE TIP!
trade brian scalabrine for lebron. he has more finals experience and more rings!
hey peter what did he score 81 points on ? oh and how many shots did he take?
you re the reason why nobody takes kobe haters seriously, other than kobe haters. hate on his weaknesses and don’t diminish his accomplishments.
Ok all of you are trashing lebron and kobe to prove who is better and I find it funny. Lets face it they are both great players but there is one thing that you are all forgetting to mention. What made Jordan the best of all time. His athleticism along with his will to win. Noone worked harder then that guy on and off the court to win, and this is where there is a difference between lebron and kobe. Kobe has had that will to win, where as lebron has been known over the last few years to fade away or choke. So with that being said at the end of the day you have to say lebron is great but still not as great as kobe or MJ…..oh yeah by the way if you look back at almost every championship team in the past they all had more then one star on their team.
lebron is great
Can Lebron win a championship by himself?
it will not happen……
WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE CAVS LIKE THEY DIDN’T HAVE TOOLS?!?! THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY STARS LIKE LEBRON, BUT ALL THEY NEEDED WAS ONE. THEY HAD TOOLS LIKE CRAZY…THEY HAD A BUNCH OF THREE POINT SHOOTERS: DONYELL MARSHALL, BOOBIE GIPSON, DELONTE WEST, WALLY SCZERBIAK (KIND OF), AND SASHA PAVLOVIC. THEY HAD BIG Z WHO IS A VETERAN BIG MAN WHO IS DEAD EYE FROM MID RANGE, AND THEY HAD BIG BEN WHO’S DEFENSE WOULD SET THE FASTBREAK ON FIRE FOR ANYONE, MUCH LESS LEBRON HIMSELF. I DON’T SEE AN ABSENCE OF TOOLS THERE AT ALL! KOBE IN HIS PRIME IS MUUUUUUCH > LEBRON IN HIS PRIME, GET A GRIP.
kobe is always a shadow of o’neal, horry, bynum, fisher, gasol and odom
he has a ring because there’s always a talented giant on his side
afraid of losing gasol because he thinks that if gasol has gone theres a slim chance of championship
he has no confidence on bynum
wow…..LBJ did not get his ring but everybody compare his skills to any talented player….how much more if he got his ring???thing about it…..lol..in my opinion his a great player…..a future champion team…HEAT
li would take leborn over kobe anyday of the week. Leborn has been the leader of the team while kobe had help. also kobe is way overrated, to tell u the truth i would take kevin durent over kobe!!
In the first video the 2nd and 3rd examples are blatant travels. In both examples James utilizes the “jump stop” move and then pivots which is a travel. The “jump” of the jump stop is step one and the stop is step 2. Lebron is the most blatant offender ever with this move. I think that Lebron is the best to ever play, but please do not praise him for incorrect, sloppy, and illegal footwork as this sets a poor example for those learning the game and insults the intelligence of those that are knowledgeable about the game. STOP THE JUMP STOP PIVOT. Thank you.
Who looked like a scared punk in the All Star Game? Who was the old man trying to school a weak-minded youngster while Melo and Pierce (Who were both on Bron’s team) laughed it up? How can Bron fans ignore his weakness? You’re ALL DELUDED! He has 3 inches and 50 ponds of muscle on Kobe, and instTead of taking it to him, winning the game and MVP honors, he threw it away like a WEENY! But hey, that’s just Bron being Bron nothing new there! Kobe has five rings and always shinned on the BIGGEST STAGE: The NBA FINALS!!! Bron’s been there twice, he got sweept, then EPICALLLY MELTED DOWN! He had to join forces with another TOP 3 player in the league and a TOP 10 player and still couldn’t get it done! What A LOSER! WE’LL NEVER FORGET THAT; HE SHOULD JUST RETIRE!!! MJ said himself that Kobe is the only player in the HISTORY OF THE NBA that should be compared to him!
I always read these but never reply but I have to weigh in on the discussion;
Kobe or LeBron?
Overall player? LeBron. Easily. Better stats, better all around player. I guarantee you if you asked other NBA ballers who’d they rather play with right now it out of the 2 it would be 80-20 to LeBron. Like people have said LeBron never had a problem with the clutch shot early in his career but somewhere along the line when he missed it, people started calling him a choker and it really messed with his mind and it’s become a big hurdle for him now. Kobe may of missed more shots over the years but he has been playing for 6+ years more. That’s where I give Kobe props. If my life was on the line and my team was down 1 i’d choose Kobe everytime.
I think the ring aspect to arguments is irrelevant. That’s a team accomplishment, that’s why they give EVERYONE a ring on the team. LeBron almost did it solo and that’s the freakish thing about it all. Now LeBron has a chance to start the ring chase at the same time frame as Jordan, and that’s because he finally has a good team structure with capable players making shots when needed. His stats maybe lower when he’s sharing it but that’s because his 25pts/9/8 every game actually WINS 99% of the time. As apposed to Kobe scoring 40 point games and losing.
Lebron is a great player, Kobe is a great player. Kobe takes tough (bad shots) sometimes, usually because the shot clock is down and the offense falls apart, two because he is a scorer thats his mentallity thats the way he is built. Lebron is more of a pg likes to get his teamates involved and move the ball…..both are amazing..Kobe always wants the ball in his hands at the end of games…lebron trys to get someone else a good shot and if that person misses Lebron is criticized….Kobe doesn’t make every game winning shot…but he is willing to live and die with that on his shoulders.(fyi when kobe scored 81 Lakers were down 20 pts when he exploded for over 50 in the 2nd half). Also if you guys are saying pau gasol is in the same category as wade, shaq, and pippen as the other star I’m amazed, not to say that Pau isn’t a good player, but I can’t honestly put him in that category. Also to say kobe has always had a great pg is not true…I love fish he plays hard and is fiesty, but great…he is completely one dimensional he shoots from the outside and has a a very hard time containing any pg penetration these days. And for those of you who don’t remember when shaq was traded and the dynasty ended…..the lakers starting pg was smush parker a cavs reject from when the cavs were horrible. Also in all honesty how Lebron lead that Cavs team to the finals against the Spurs I still don’t know because it was by far the worst line up to ever make the finals props to LBJ.
Lebron travelled on his second move in the first video. u cant step after a jump stop like that. Thats that crab dribble
For me, Kobe and Lebron are both great players in their own rights.People continually compare them and I understand that since great players are often compared to the great players.But the fact is….they play at different positions. Aside from that , the concept of Lebron’s game is more of a team approach.Kobe’s game is not that much. I mean, I’m just being brutally frank. Can Kobe be satisfied by scoring less to win games and dishing dimes more? No!!Again, coz he has a scorer’s mentality..In terms of the supporting cast, hey Kobe had plenty of them in his years.. Cmon!!!you all know how spoiled Lakerland is..They’ll boo even their own team if its mediocre.So kobe did not do it on his own. He needs other great players.Remember Kobe demanded to be traded before? But the difference was Lebron went to MIami and Kobe stayed.If Kobe was traded, all haters would have another issue to discuss.
My point is….you win games, championships with a TEAM.Lebron would silence all haters this year.He’s a once in a blue moon type of player. He is better than Kobe.I know haters would hate but deep inside you know its true..
Guys, I think we all know that Kwame Brown is the best player in the last 5 years, if not the history of basketball
i find it funny that some of you guys are using TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS to determine who is a best PLAYER. team achievements should equal best PLAYERS not best PLAYER, right? like it was mentioned a couple of times, if you use the number of rings and the number of game-winners a player has had in a career, then hands down the best player of the NBA in RECENT memory has got to be Robert Horry. Derek Fisher would have just a good a case as Kobe Bryant using that criteria.
personally though, for a discussion as to who is the best player in the NBA today based on numbers, physical domination, skill variety, it just has to be Lebron James.
if the discussion was just about mental toughness, drive and determination, id say Kobe.
stats would show you how good the player is..and that is lebron james in the last five years…he is still young, so he has still more things to learn…honestly, my interest in watching NBA since my idol MJ retired got back when LBJ played the basketball..we cannot take away his accomplishments in NBA considering his few years stay in the league…last year he struggles along with Dwade and bosh because he was not able to establish his role in the team…but now if you look at their team, it seems they have already got the play and roles that they should carry in the game…no question, lebron is the best player in the league right now…he is playing MVP-season.. and i firmly believe that this would be the year that he will wear the championship RING…Go lebron! we believe in you…Godbless.
@True Kobe begged to be traded to LA? Were you born yesterday? It was Jerry West who saw Kobe’s potential and took his chances with a young Bryant at that time, but hey, the Hornets got a dependable big in Vlade Divac. Get you facts straight son.
@corleone Kobe did that to force the Lakers big bosses to do whatever it takes to create a contender, and it worked. Can you say the same with LeBron? Bottom line is, Kobe stayed a Laker while James left the Cavs to join Wade, ditto Bosh.
@316 You know what, I’m amazed that you are bashing Kobe who has 5 rings while so far LeBron has 0, if ever James get one, tell me, did he win it alone? LeBron makes other players better? Ask Mo Williams. How about Kobe? Ask Pau Gasol(btw its Pau, not Paul).
if bosh exchange pau jasol , i think lebron will got at least 3 rings
kobe got shaq & gasol , what lebron got???
im a kobe fan but i admit to say that kobe takes way to many shots and make less than others. hes only a 43% shooter. he maybe clutch but takes way too much.
Simple as this. When LBJ was on the Cavs he made them the best team(through out regular season)…..when he left, the cavs had the worst record in history. Hmmmmm. He coulda sat on the bench the whole year w/ the Heat and shoulda just got MVP for just that.
okay guys,here’s the thing..NOBODY CAN WIN IT ALL ALONE..Jordan HAD to have pippen and surrounded by shooters and post players to win a championship..the 89-90 pistons HAD to have a physical and team play to win a championship..magic and bird HAD to have great teammates to have a championship..that is just plain stupid to say that someone won it all BY HIMSELF..the fact is to see how they GLUED WITH EACH OTHER..okay,i am a kobe fan i will state right now but i have great, i mean really great respect for lebron..he is phenomenal and unstoppable to the ring..but to say that he is better than kobe in his prime?come on man,kobe in his prime scored more than lebron..kobe in his prime had more explosiveness than lebron had..and kobe was a better player than lebron in the playoffs, where it mattered most..he was their leading man when he brought the lakers to 3 straight finals appearrance in 08-10 and won 2 out of those..if you guys give the credit to shaq for being the man in the 3 straight championships by the lakers in 00-02 than gice it to kobe..kobe even had GREAT games in those 3 championships with shaq in the playoffs and especially in the finals..he was a force in the playoffs and had the ball in his hands when it was crunch time, not shaq..he was 22 years old guys..one of my most favorite games is the game 4 of pacers-lakers and shaq fouled out in OT..kobe scored 8 points in OT and 6 in the crunch..lebron never won a finals game and was swept..come on guys,lebron is great and all but kobe is really by far the greater of the two.
Let just put it this way.. when kobe got shaq malone and payton and still lose to Detroit in the finals.. Put LeBron in there instead of Kobe and it might sweep the pistons.. Got it people?
just get 5 rings..nuff said
hey guys its not that hard to say but kobe has been playing for along time and has had alot more oppertunitys to prove himself. people hate on lebron because he is so good and is so talented, just give him time and you will see the lebron we all are use to seeing.yes, lebron is the best player in the NBA and he will be for awile. kobe was the best but kobe is getting a lil old. give kobe credit one of the top 10 best, NO DOUT!!! BUT when lebrons career is over Lebron will be top 5 best. so no trying to disagree just saying lebron is better and thats that!!! lets go LEBRON MVP….. again.
Damn! I just can’t get enough of people saying Kobe’s better than Lebron or vice versa and all that s**t. It is just pointless comparing them both because first and foremost, they’re two different individuals! They’re both great players in their own ways! PERIOD! No need to prove a point that the other is better than the other!
Lebron can play PG, SG, SF, PF, C. Thats about it.
The article lacks one important stat. number of games. how can you compare lebron’s efficiency in the post with the previous 2 seasons when the 2nd half of the current season has just started? what if at the end of the season, this becomes his most efficient? then you’re entire article would be wrong. zzzz
no disrespect to any comments from any ppl posting comments on this subject. I hated Lebron his first three years because he was crowned the best too soon. Lebron is simply the best player in the league “of all time” debate it all you want I loved MJ, I loved Kobe and Iove Lebron I simply love basketball and an all around superstar like Lebron you can’t help but love if you love basketball. Greatness is Greatness I’ve seen Kobe miss clutch shots I’ve seen Lebron hit gamewinning shots big deal if your team plays a great all around game you don’t get that chance. Incidentally I’ll take a game winning steal, block over gamevinning shots anyway. I like the defense that leads to wins over gamewinning shots. Now that’s a stat for you as a superstar how many game winning steals and blocks have these guys made. As far as fadeaways go everyone does it Ibaka, Glen Davis, etc after the MJ days it just seemed to catch on. Remember if you play a great 48 minutes of good basketball there won’t be a need for a gamewinning shot.
i think lebron is the best 1 on 1 player in this decade he can drive score even there is 3 or 4 defender.
They aren’t even the same type of player! The NBA pumps up this Kobe LeBron pseudo-rivalry to attract attention to the NBA, but it’s apples and oranges! But, LeBron is a CHOKER! Plain and simple! EVEN STEVEN A. SMITH quit backing him up, becuase unlike these deluded LeBron fans, Steven A. Smith has to sound credible or he’ll be out a job!
PS And to the moron up above who said that Bron “almost got it done himself in Cleveland which is freakish” you’re pathetic! You’re probably 12 years-old! How is getting SWEEPT BY AN OLD SPURS TEAM “ALMOST GETTING IT DONE”?
LeBron is the second best player in Miami! FACT! Wade already won without LeBron! LeBron knows his limitations so he JOINED FORCE WITH D WADE AND CHRIS BOSH!!!
To the moron who said Pau Gasol is better than Bosh, Really? Pau didn’t make the all star game and I guaranty you HE NEVER WILL AGAIN EITHER!! BOSH HAS ATLEAST 5 MORE TO COME!!!!!
Wade got Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker when won Finals.
Spurs old? They never missed playoffs since Tim Duncan joined. They were no.1 team in west last season and got more finals and playoffs experience than Lebron in 2007 when they swept cavs. Manu parker also helped Duncan to win the 4th ring.
Thank you writer for another Film Study Blog. You didn’t just stop at Lin…
Lebron is probably the most gifted athlete in NBA history..maybe of all time. Whether he will master all the skills necessary to stay effective when he’s over 30 and his physical abilities on the decline, remains to be seen. He seems all business this season and I truly respect that.
Now..about Kobe in his prime VS Lebron now/prime….well, all I can say is, there were times when Kobe was LITERALLY unstoppable. Lebron, as great as he is…doesn’t give you that impression. You can find ways to stop him.
@ Will. Wade won Finals without Lebron but with Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker. They were Veteran Superstars in that period.
And you saying Lebron got swept by old Spurs? Spurs were No.1 team in West last season and never missed playoffs since Tim Duncan joined. And this season playing very well. They already got more playoffs and Finals experience than Lebron (they got 3 championships until 2007 and fourth after sweeping the Cavs). Also they had Manu and Parker.
This seems to always be a debate that you can sway either way depending on your preference! I like both and think both are great players. I will say that I think Lebron would have developed quicker and would be scary to see if he had a veteran allstar on his team when he first came in the league! I mean someone that was a true leader, Look at who he was surrounded with and what was expected of him coming from playing against high schoolers! I know Kobe came straight from HS also, but he wasnt tasked with putting that team on his back either, (it wasn’t “HIS” team yet he had to learn!) To become a great player you use your strengths and develope what weaknesses you have. I think that both are and have done that!
This whole comment page is biased… You have your favorite before even reading this article and trying to defend your beliefs. But when you comment on comparisons between Lebron vs Kobe and the article doesn’t even mention Kobe’s name, that’s rediculous. Kobe fans will never let his legacy or lack there of rest. Comparing MJ to Kobe is plain out stupid. MJ gave Kobe the blueprint and he still couldn’t live up to it and he was without injury. MJ controlled the game from beginning to end, everybody knew who was getting the ball at all times. When Kobe has off games, he has off games meaning someone else takes up the slack. (Bynum, Gasol, Shaq, Odom) The ultimate security protection.
Now placing Lebron in the mix, there has never been a player of his magnitude. He’s cut from the cloth of greatness. Basically meaning you can’t compare his attributes to anyone ever before and on that point alone you have to respect that. Stop hating on that man and admire his craft because I don’t think we will ever see another player of his skill level ever in life.
lebrons post up = hook his defender off with his other arm while he dribbles, but of course refs are too in love with him to call that on lebron. once lebron does that, who’s supposed to stop him? if u let dwight do that, dwight could prob score 50 points every night
LBJ IS TOP TEN ALL TIME RIGHT NOW BETTER THAN KOBE IN HIS PRIME AT EVERYTHING EXCEPT SCORING KIBE NEVER GUARDED THE BEST PLAYERS REALLY NEVER DID MIKE IT WAS SCOTTIE AND LBJ CAN PLAI THE 1-4 POSITION SO ITS NO CONTEST.
lebron james is the only player who could match jordan in his prime…forget about kobe,durant,rose and others…lebron is the most complete player in the league!
Lebron is one of the best all around players. He can beat you in so many ways. I think we should just enjoy great players and we should not always have to compare players. Every player brings something different to the table.
LBJ IS THE KING….GOGOGOGO HEAT
I will get straight to the point.. yes Kobe has the rings… is he a great player yes… Kobe did his thing… over & out bye. Lebron is the new face of the NBA. That is why you all enjoy watching him, He will get his… they can slow it but they can’t stop it its coming.
yall talk bulls*** we all know that kobe vs lebron = 16-5 kobe won 5 lebron won 16…
Guys LBJ did his best again at UTAH during clutch time,,,,,,,to the other saying that he cant do……hope you watch the game….suddenly they loss but its a perfect answer to anyone who doubt to LBJ…what a terrific game….WTF….LBJ SEASON NOW………UNSTOPABLE PLAYER……..AND FUTURE CHAMPION….GO GOGGOGOOG LBJ GOGOGOGO HEAT
lebron will never “get his” until he proves he can lead a team. freak of nature, yes. incredible size and speed, yes. winner, NO. that’s the point of playing fellas, to win. and winners don’t have excuses nor have to join other people’s team (d-wade’s team in miami) in order to win. the kobe v lebron argument is stupid because all this regular season talk is nonsense. i guess all you lbj bandwagon fans forgot his complete choke in the 4th quarter last year. literary non-existent.. bottom line, in my book, dirk is better than lebron by miles because when it counts, just like kobe, he can deliver the basket. dirk didn’t leave his team, nor had excuses, he just performed. until lebron leaves miami and gets a championship on his own team, then this conversation can even take place.
lebron is a beast. since the lock out and last season he came bac as a animal he has crazy post game now he feeds his tell the ball fantastically and had a 3 pointer now. to be honest him and kobe are different because they both can do things that the other cant kobe can make big time shots lebron cant . lebron can dunk on anyone wen he is on a break kobe cant. rings dont matter cuz kobe did join a star he joined shaq to get his first few rings and lebron carried his team to the final wen he was on cleveland so be fore u try to play lebron think about how far he has come from hisw cleveland days
lol for cezo. LeBron is better and the best. all around player and no selfish b*tch like kobe. hands down.
Ok I’ve been reading a lot of this comment board and eventually got fed up with both sides. First off I am a LBJ fan, that being said. To say that Lebron is the best player ever ringless is simply dumb and pre-mature. However he is clearly the best player in the league today and yes he is better than Kobe was in his prime (numbers don’t lie). Yes he got with Wade and Bosh, but I think the fact that every one has help even the greatest player ever MJ has been covered and beat to death. The truth of it all is along with Lebron’s basketball skills, the ability to shot at a high percentage, handle like a point gurard, great court vision, good rebounder, ability to guard the best player on the court i.e. Derrick Rose last years playoffs, one of the better shot blockers in the league you know all that jazz, but Lebrons best attributes is his size and speed these things cant be coached all the will and post season work outs in the world will never make Kobe 6’8 270lbs…with skill…And to all the ring arguers if thats all that matters how can you say MJ is the best player ever, ever heard of Bill Russell???? Luckily I’m not a ring arguer but you have to win at least 1 to be in the GREATEST EVER conversation which is all it is no one can say one is better than the other because the veribles are not the same so it is impossible to get a true answer always fun to debate though…
lebron is more Magic Johnson not jordan or kobe period
D Rose will be the “greatest” someday…….
kobe by the end if his career will be the best player or the 2nd best behind jordan. kobe has done it all
Pleaaase, KB has ZERO chance to be the greatest player ever . Sorry. keep dreaming though
im so fed up with this kobe vs lebron thing.. i admit im a lebron fan and im so fed up of kobe’s fans that want to talk about who is the “BETTER PLAYER” between d 2 but always brags about rings.. yes it is important for great players to win championship but what are we talking about here is “BEST PLAYER” not best team.. it is true kobe got 5 rings but 3 of those was from riding shaq’s back and please don’t tell me kobe’s better in his prime.. wen was in his 8th yr in d nba.. can he produce d numbers lebron is producing all season long?!?,, and to tell every stupid kobe fans the truth.. lebron’s 8 year stats and numbers are almost equal to kobe’s 12 year stats and numbers so how can u say kobe is the better that someone who is doing what he has done almost all of his career in just 8 years.. kobe is lucky he was traded to lakers and given a chance to play with the most dominant center ever.. (ofcourse that is shaq) and the best coach ever (you know who dat is) as oppose to lebron who only played with Z and with the coach that the lakers are blaming and saying he is the reason why they arent on top of the hill as of late (you know who he is too.. mike brown).. kobe has 5 rings, and yes tougher mentally than lebron (maybe only because of all his experience) coz hi older and have a lot of times playing in the big games.. but lebron is still not in his prime yet.. he’s developing his post game his working with his J’s and that being said has the potential to be better and time is still on lebron’s side specially now that he is playing with the team everybody is saying that would have the best chance winning a championship those 5 kobe has can still be tied or even topped by lebron with all the years left in him and the heat it’s not impossible.. kobe already is in his 13th or 14th yr in d league.. got 5 rings 2 finals mvp and 1 mvp lebron with his 8th yr got 2 mvp and 3rd is fast approaching.. with that said he already prooves his the better individual player coz MVP is the highest individual award someone can get while RING is the highest award a team can get.. realized the difference?!?..5 rings for kobe 0 for lebron means his team has been always been better and 2 mvp and counting for lebron 1 and maybe the last for kobe means lebron has been the better individual player than kobe and i said “INDIVIDUAL” not one on one coz kobe is agreat one on one player coz he’s a ballhog while lebron is the better all around player.. and please stop making lebron’s body and him being a freak of nature as an excuse coz it’s his gift from god nobody can take that away from you.. lebron can be someday as mentally tough as kobe as he gets experience everyday and can someday be as skilled and as shooter as kobe if he keeps working hard with his jumpers but kobe cant be big as lebron is fast as lebron is and strong as lebron is no matter what he does..
Ok I’m a Boston fan, and hate the Lakers but let me break this down for some people who really just don’t know what theyre talking about.
Lebron is the best regular season player, he is in fact a freak of nature in the regular season. Last time I checked though, any team and or player focused on winning a championship is worried about one thing, and thats the post season. People can bring up stats all they want but the truth is, no one is worried about LeBron in pressure situations because he doesnt play well when its all on the line. This is where players like Kobe thrive, and that is what has made Kobe better over the years, his ability to keep his cool and still perform at his best no matter the situation. When the going gets tough for Lebron in a game or series, he dissappears, when the same happens for Kobe, he typically keeps producing at the same rate and or elevates his game. I can tell you that in all my years watching the NBA there has been nothing scarier than watching Kobe just decide to take over games singlehandedly when you think your team has sealed the deal. On the contrary, LeBron has never instilled that fear, he’s always just kind of disappeared (2010 playoffs or 2011 finals anyone?). Basically LeBron can keep putting up these insane stats but it means nothing until hes able to utilize his skills under extreme pressure. Honestly, I believe if he were able to do this, he would be much greater than Kobe, but as of now he is still just the best regular season player and thats it.
agreed my man
kobe> lebron…. lebron has more athleticism, and is stronger, but why does it matter if you dont win and wont take a shot in the 4th quarter? Kobe is clutch… and ive been watching nba tv… kyrie irving may b the most clutch player in a few years, its unreal what he does for a 19 year old
Lebron can have the mvp but i”d rather have kobe as Finals mvp hahaha Playoffs is where the legends are created
I think Lebron Taking Cleveland to the finals by going through Detroit and Boston was one of the greatest if not the greatest feet in basketball. It goes up there with Oscar Robertson averaging a triple double.
That cleveland team without lebron was worse than the cleveland team last year that made the world record for consecutive losses.
Their Dead Eye long range shooter was Zerbiak, their center was a guy name Verijow who didn’t improve yet. (he has improved since then his how terrible he was.) Shotting guard was Larry Hughes, The coach was Also Brown. I don’t think any other pleyer in the history of basketball could of taken that team to a championship. I don’t think even Jordan. Jordan played on bad teams, but he had Orlando woolridge and John Paxon which are better than the other players on that cleveland team. This feat alone puts Lebron ahead of Kobe. Kobe’s rings are over rated, he won 3 with shaq, and the last one he got in game 7 had one of the worse game 7′s of a star in history. Gasol got robbed for MVP. I actually only give Kobe one ring that he can call his own.
Kobe is just blueprint of MJ. His playing style is just 100% MJ’s style. He got nothing his own. And now learning Dirk’s shot after being swept by him. KOBECOPY.
Okay. To all the idiots who say Kobe never carried a team then who led the Lakers during their last two championships? It certainly wasnt Pau. And to the person who said Kobe has a wost game winning shooting percentage. Bull Sh!@t. There are a lot of inaccurate stats out there but the truth is Kobe has made 27 game winning shots. Lebron has 4. Kobe has 5 championships and 1 finals MVP. Lebron is 0-2 in the championship. People say Lebron could carry the Cavs to the championship so that makes him a good leader but what about choking in the fourth quarter three games in a row in the finals with the undoubtably best team in the league? Look at things wholisticly not just one sided. Yes Lebron is great, but basketball is about winning. Hes titless and filled with hype. The things Kobe did in his prime Lebron has yet to even come close. When the leagues best players were all in the Olympics together they called Kobe the undisputed leader of the team. People have been trying to take Kobes glory from day one. Kobe is in his mid 30′s and leads the league in scoring. He is a beast. Lebron is the best player in the league athleticly, but when it comes to Heart, competitive nature and good old basketball IQ. Im going with Kobe. Maybe when Lebron hits twenty plus more game winning shots, wins 5 more championships, wins a slam dunk contest. Scores 80 plus and a whole other slew of accomplishments that Kobe sits high on leaving him leaps and bounds above the competition. Besides I saw a video where Lebron hismself along with a multitude of othe NBA pros admit that Kobe is the best player in the game, And I will take their opinion before all of you other idiots! PERIOD.
he’s shooting like 43% are u serious?
LBJ = regular season great, KB = playoff great. Enough said!! If you think stats make a “Greatest Player” or “Best Player”, you are out of your mind. Answer this question LBJ fans, since Lebron has better stats than MJ, does than mean that Lebron is the “Greatest Player” of all time?
LOL at the people who think LBJ Is better than kobe. Maybe now slightly. But Kobe at 28 was miles better than lbj is now. Did you see the team he played with post shaq? Lebron would cry playing with that team.
Kobe has no game? are you kidding? Even phil jackson couldnt compare kobe and mj. Sure its his player, but kobe has done everything in this league. He has 5+ championships. And before people say its with stars, no teams wins with only 1 superstar. Even mj had pippen.
Lebron is unclutch, scared of situations. Why rely on others in the final seconds when you are hot? I dont care if you are doubled, youre the star player take the shot. This is why some retards call kobe greedy, i dont care if hes greedy. If he misses hes greedy and if he makes it hes lucky. Atleast he has the balls to face it.
LBJ has not 1 but 2 super stars now, and he still wont win.
Look, Kobe is a bit overrated when we talk championships. I know he has 5 and LBJ has 0 but LBJ in reality has only been on 1 team that had any business competing for a tittle. Kobe has 5 rings but he probably should have about 8 or 9. Ppl forget he lost with shaq and a bunch of talent for like 2 years before Phil got there. He also lost with shaq and phil to Detroit. Thats 3 more titles alone that he should have with shaq. Now in this era, He lost 2 with phil, gasol, bynum, odom. Thats damn near 5 championship teams that he played on where he didnt get it done. You can only say that about Lebron for 1 season.
I do think Kobe is more clutch, but even that aspect of his game is overrated.
some people out here dont know what they talk about. lebron james is a fantastic player in every area of the game. a thing mj wasnt. lebron is a better 3pt shooter than both mj and kobe and he is a much better all around shooter and maybe defender than them. and people that say lebron isnt clutch, theyre wrong. lebron has a much better clutch percentage than kobe has on game winners. he can take the last shot. lebron is competitive and im sure he will prove this year that. not just he can win the mvp award but also the nba title. if you do remember, mj won the title at the age of 29. everybody said mj couldnt do it, but he did it 6 times. and another fact is that both mj and kobe had help always. mj had pippen. kobe had shaq and then pau. if lebron does win this year, i dont see any reason that why isnt lebron better than mj or kobe. he is much more skilled than mj.he will do it this year for sure.
by the way i have a lot of respect of kobe and mj. theyre two of the greatest players ever. (mj is still the best, but we will see who ends with that claim). for now mj is the best, but im foward to see how it will be when lebron has finished his carreer..
JUST saying. For you guys that are saying kobe is the best scorer in the league atm.
he isnt, i think that would belong to Mr. Durant.
Lebron james has to be in the top 10 to basketball he plays the game not just one art basketball is a team sport and who plays for his team? Lebron does not Kobe. Kobe canmaybe can shoot and play denfence only to pgs, sgs and sfs Lebro can NOT only denfend but play every postion on the court so hes every thing u cncompare them. For the people who say Lebron aint clutch go back to 2007 eastern confrence chiampionship Cavs vs Pistons and tell me how clutch Lebron is I you score 28 out of your teams last 29 in the 4th quarter u clutch How about last year boston series the last game Lebron went on a 10-0 rn by his self to give them the game i see clutch Lebron James is a clutch player but he trust in his teams to take the game winning shot why take a game winning shot when u see the double tea open and you got a man open……When Lebron James get a ring he will be the greatest player to play the game because he is 260 pound forward who can play and graud any postion on the court and is faster than in forward ever to play his postion I dont think Kobe can do the things he can
i think that lebron james is the far best player in the league i mean look at him he is soo young and athletic and yet hes in the talk with the greats already no doubt that kobe is a great player but lbj has proven that he isnt any normal nba player but a machine he isplaying with two other great players and yet still averaging those numbers i mean no one else can do that
omg, all of you guys.
we wont know what happen if kobe vs lebron on a 1 on 1 competition.
yes both are great players.
but kobe is a SHOOTING GUARD
lebron is a FORWARD.
end of story.
compare as much as u want, its like comparing apple and orange.
btw, i think both of them earn about the same (both from the league and commercials).
I love Kobe Bryant far more than Lebron and everyone knows it, however, Lebron is a great player, he isnt one deminisol and in fact can get triple doubles easily. Kobe is a scorer and one thing you people that keep doubting his shooting stats.. “good shooters keep shooting”, Kobe is a great long range shooter, and lets not forget the fact that he has dealt with injuries all throughout his career unlike Lebron. Yes lebron gets his teammates more involved and is more of a team player, Kobe though is a one on one player that could break anyone down and create on his own, including breaking down Lebron. its clearly impossible to compare the too because Kobe and Lebron play 2 differnt positions and both play 2 differnt styles.
The one differnce interms of rings, recently Kobe won a ring playing with Role players.. Lebron couldnt do it with role players and so far hasent been able to do it with another top 5 player on his team followed by a top 5 PF on his team.
lebron is not playing well this game is getting 4 17 14 20 17 ta point is not playing well so it is the dam soften people living modeling in game so you do not win in the final and can not play well but he wants a ring does not play well in the end and people live soften this years love to win the rings and 10 season i do not have a ring and my other player wade has a ring but not my favorite player is better than kobe and not win a championship this years ere the rings lebron you better get to the rings
guy’s, bottom line here? all i wanted for christmas is lebron’s skills alryt?? pitty for those haters….
why is it that all LeBron James articles always has the greatest number of comments???LeBron haters why not just post your stupid comments on whoever your idols are???too tired of reading on all your same old story comments on Lebron….will you all just shut up and dont watch LeBron…
lebron – all around player — check!
jordan – best player ever played – check no question but has scottie and more
kobe- has shaq, rice, horry, fisher, and a lot more, he even have phil
and as far as i know
Lebron has nothing in cleveland. pretty fair? his good man! admit that!!! dont be such a dumb guys? stop talking about a ring. its a teamplay!
nobodys expecting miami for championship last year but look what happend? its still difrnt!
hey mike?? how bwt kobe and lebron 1 on1 in a court? i bet with lebron and u go with ur kobe?? but a piece of advice.. im pretty sure kobe could get more of those bruises and etc. if u ask them to play like their is no tomrw and i know kobe could catch colds after the game coz of those bruises? if only lebron would suddenly become a little dirty player bcoz he plays a little nicer? weeeeeeeww! i bet only PF can defend him but the question is?? can he catch him?????
Look, Lebron James for the past few years has been the best player. He’s the most all-around, he’s a team player, and he is definitely in the top 5 when it comes to being the most versatile. A prime Lebron vs. a prime Kobe would be close but i still say lebron pulls it off. Did lebron have a center that drew a lotta double teams to get him easy scoring opportunites? No. Kobe had that with shaq. Also, Lebron is a more efficient scorer and a better team player. he also makes his teammates better. Kobe will take a bad shot a lot more frequently than lebron does. Lebron is faster and a better defender (and yes he is faster and a better defender than a prime Kobe). The only thing I will give kobe over lebron is a better free throw percentage, and better in crunchtime. Although, I think Lebron is not as horrible in the clutch as a lot of us may think.
LBJ is Beast kobe just get out the way when LBJ coming up for the dunk , did Jordan get out the way ???