Shaq on LeBron vs. Kobe debate: 'I'd probably have to go with Kobe'
Another week, another debate involving LeBron James' place among the game's all-time greats.
This time, though, James is being compared to another still active legend - Kobe Bryant.
And the guy comparing the two once called both teammates.
Bryant's a legend in his own right and one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen, and the once-dominant Shaq is entitled to his opinion, but no self-respecting basketball observer can realistically believe James falls short of The Black Mamba anymore - not after everything we've seen from The King.
Here's how their numbers stack up through 12 seasons (through the 2007-08 season for Bryant), when Kobe's championship advantage is only 3-2:
| Seasons 1-12 | PPG | RPG | APG | TS% | PER | MVPs | Finals appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 27.3 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 58.1 | 27.7 | 4 | 6 |
| Kobe Bryant | 25 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 55.7 | 23.6 | 1 | 5 |
James at his best is a superior scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender, even boasting a minimal advantage (34.2-34.0) in 3-point shooting through 12 seasons.
Rabid Bryant fans, of course, will argue that their hero has some sort of innate "clutch" gene LeBron doesn't possess. About that ...
And if you expand to the final minute of playoff Q4/OT, Lebron is 13/27 and Kobe is 10/37 on game-tying/go-ahead field goals.
— shrill (@theshrillest) May 10, 2015
Far too often, praising James over Bryant is seen as some slight towards The Mamba. It's not. Bryant is one of the greatest players of his generation. It's just that every shred of evidence - whether empirical or numerical - suggests LeBron has been decisively better.
Killer instinct, though, right Shaq?