All rights reserved. He had a big night and was basically the x-factor.”The Lakers trimmed their deficit to 51-48 late in the second quarter, but Cleveland (46-18) responded with an 8-2 run to give itself a cushion that it would maintain the rest of the way.Los Angeles (14-52) wasn’t lacking on offense, shooting 52.5 percent and scoring 54 points in the paint, but it also couldn’t prevent the Cavs from cashing in from deep. James has graced more total covers (25 to 21) and his … it will apply to data controlled jointly by the NBA and WarnerMedia as well as other data controlled by WarnerMedia. As different generations of basketball fans consume the … His James’s first cover, Feb. 18, 2002, came when he was still a high school star. - Duration: 8:56. James’s low-water mark during his prime (-0.4 in 2008) was also superior to Bryant’s worst reloading season (-3 in 2005) and, obviously, his drastic post-Achilles drop-off.All told, the average point differential for James’ teams is +4.3, compared to +2.3 for Bryant’s entire career and +4 prior to his Achilles injury in 2014. Nevertheless, the one-sided 5-2 comparison doesn’t fully capture the relative success Bryant and James have enjoyed during their careers.The following chart compares the two players by their teams’ career records with them in the lineup. When James reached his first Finals in 2007, Bryant was deep in a post-O’Neal drought, left to roll with the likes of Smush Parker. 0:26. 8:56. All Rights Reserved. It might be surprising to some observers, then, that James boasts a higher career scoring average and that he’s on a reasonable track to surpass Bryant on the NBA’s alltime scoring list. Although James is thought of as a power player and Bryant is viewed as more of a jump shooter, the two players generated their points in remarkably similar ways. Or it is maybe Kobe Bryant vs either of those two (or both). Privacy Act, please use the links below to visit each company’s privacy center. If Bryant and James are compared through their age-31 seasons only (through 2009-10 for Bryant and through Tuesday for James), James’s edge narrows considerably, although he still comes out on top.Here’s a year-by-year comparison of the two players by the point differentials of their respective teams. You can never take that for granted.”The Mamba hit for an efficient 26 points on 11/16 shooting while locking up against Lebron James all night.
3 in SI’s recent “How do the careers of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James stack up against one another? Kobe Bryant might be 16 games away from retiring and LeBron James may be in his 13th season, but — in their final game against one another — both looked like they were at the peak of their primes.Bryant — who had missed four of his previous six games due to a sore shoulder — racked up 26 points on an 11-of-16 clip, while James countered with 24 points and seven assists, leading the Cavaliers past the Lakers, 120-108.“One thing about Kobe, he can always get it going,” said Cleveland interim coach Tyronn Lue, who played alongside Bryant from 1998-2001. - Duration: 8:56. Those same supporters might also point out that James has advanced to the Finals five consecutive times (and counting), something that Bryant and even Jordan can’t match. Kobe Bryant might be 16 games away from retiring and LeBron James may be in his 13th season, but — in their final game against one another — both looked like they were at the peak of their primes. If you make a request through the WarnerMedia Privacy Center, the NBA Privacy Center, it will apply to data controlled independently by the NBA.
Here’s a tidy rundown of the very highlights and minutiae from two decorated careers.Bryant's first cover came on April 27, 1998, during his second NBA season. Kobe Bryant is guarded by Cleveland's LeBron James on March 10, 2016. His most recent cover came on Dec. 2, 2015, in which he There are arguments to be made in favor of both Bryant and James.