23VS24! James, who has played against Kobe 22 times in his career, averaged 28 points and 7 assists per game. What about Kobe?

When it comes to the greatest superstar of the 21st century, most fans think of either James or Kobe. As the face of different eras in the league, these two stars have occupied the throne of the first person for a long time. Moreover, they also have a lot in common with James and Kobe. For example, both of them have excellent physical fitness, both entered the NBA after graduating from high school, and quickly became famous after entering the league. Although Kobe could only play as a substitute at the beginning, he had to admit that he still had something to be selected as an All-Star in the second year.

When it comes to the difference between James and Kobe, this is obviously more common than theirs. Compared with the "selected son" like James, even Kobe's talent is still much inferior. In addition, fans' impression of Kobe has always been technical, and he has more impression of James. In addition, Kobe mainly focuses on his personal scores, while James has always played in a comprehensive way, so the two play differently, which has led to many disputes between their respective fans.

Even though James and Kobe's careers did not completely overlap, James also rose due to Kobe's peak period. For the NBA at that time, the two of them were the hottest stars in the league, so even the NBA itself was constantly marketing the 23VS24 showdown. Unfortunately, James has never met Kobe in the playoffs. Since the two were in different divisions at the time, they could only meet in the finals if they wanted to meet in the playoffs. 2009 was the most likely time, but unfortunately James and the Cavaliers fell in the Eastern Conference Finals that year.

However, although James and Kobe have never ushered in the peak showdown on the NBA's highest stage, due to the long careers of these two, they have also played many times in the regular season. Before Kobe retired in 2016, he and James had played 22 times in the regular season, so this sample is no longer very small. Then let’s review the past matches between Kobe and James, and see how the two of them performed when they met with each other.

The record of the match:

James: 16 wins and 6 losses

Kobe: 6 wins and 16 losses (2 injuries and retreats)

In the early days, James was obviously not as good as the Lakers, so the latter won the victory in the first two matches. However, under the leadership of James, the Cavaliers quickly regained the game. In addition to their own progress, the Lakers' lineup was also crucial. In the end, in the first seven seasons of his career, James achieved a record of 8 wins and 5 losses against Kobe, but unfortunately, he and the Cavaliers cannot go further in the playoffs. On the other hand, the Lakers led by Kobe won the championship in 2009 and 2010.

In 2010, James brought his talents to the Miami Heat, and at the same time his teammates also became Wade and Bosh, so he was obviously more confident in winning the championship. Later, James and the Heat did indeed top the NBA. Not only did they reach the Finals for four consecutive years, but they also won two consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013. During this period, James also won MVP+FMVP, and it was from this time that he became the well-deserved No. 1 person in the league.

For the Lakers and Kobe, they have begun to decline since winning the championship in 2010. Kobe was in good shape at the beginning, but his teammates were really not good. Coupled with the impact of age and injuries, the team completely fell in 2013. So in the 6 games against Heat James, Kobe and the Lakers only achieved a record of 1 win and 5 losses, and the team also fell into the darkest period of the 21st century later.

In 2014, James chose to return to the Cavaliers. With the team building around him, the team quickly ended the re-joining and returned to the championship ranks. So since 2015, the Cavaliers have dominated the Eastern Conference for four consecutive years, and in 2016 they also won their first championship in team history. James' understanding of the game during this period has reached a state of magnitude, and his physical fitness has not declined significantly yet. Therefore, even if he loses more than he wins in the finals, this does not affect him being the best player in the league.

However, due to Kobe's injury and retirement, James only played against Kobe three times during this period, and because the Lakers had already become the last level of the league at that time, these three games ended with James and the Cavaliers winning. In the end, James and Kobe's record of matchmaking was completely frozen at 16 wins and 6 losses. It can be clearly seen that the former's leading advantage is still very obvious, but it has to be said that some of these games have little reference significance. After all, Kobe's state at the end of his career is incomparable to his peak period.

Individual performance:

James averaged 28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 46.9% from the field. Kobe averaged 24.6 points, 5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 42.8% from the field. When James entered the league, Kobe had already won the championship three times, and he was also selected for the All-Star, the Best Lineup and the Best Defensive Team many times. However, because James was very fast to adapt to the league, he quickly became a top star in the regular season and was selected for the Best Lineup in the second year of his career. Since the beginning, the media has been constantly marketing the showdown between Kobe and James, but due to injuries, Kobe has not been able to do his best. The two sides waited until 2005 to finally stage the first real full-game fight. In the end, James scored 25+8+9 in this game, and the Cavaliers also won the victory..

And during the many matches, although James has always lost less and won more, Kobe has performed well only based on his personal performance. However, this is limited to before Kobe's Achilles tendon rupture in 2013. And since James has been gaining weight, the two have rarely faced the position head-on even after 2010. However, for a star like Kobe, who is very competitive, he always plays more seriously every time he faces James. Therefore, when the two sides face off for the last time, even when he is about to retire, he still explodes. He made 11 of 16 shots in this game and scored 26 points, which is one of his best games that season.

Summary:

Because James and Kobe's peaks still do not fully overlap, and the strength of the teams in which both sides are located has fluctuations, the record and data of these matches cannot fully illustrate the gap between the two. Kobe has retired now, and James is about to end his career, so there is no need to compare which of these two players is the better player every day. When we think back on these two players in the future, we just need to remember that they are all superstars who are very important to the NBA.