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by Afrobutterfly
11 comments
The Difference Between LeBron and Kobe
Fitting in every way.
Some would argue “wanting it more” is a false construct – that either every guy on a basketball court wants to win just as badly as his competitors or, alternately, that talent – in the end – prevails over all else anyway.
Maybe these people are right. Maybe when push comes to shove, “winners” – your Jordans and Magics and Robert Horrys – just possess superior athletic traits, exhibit one specifically heightened skill, or play with a group of similarly gifted talents who collectively display more physical aptitude than their opponents.
But LeBron James is a more talented player than Kobe Bryant and probably, too, every other human being that’s ever hoisted a 15-foot turnaround. He can jump higher, run faster, find a cutting forward with more precision than any. And for his adonis-like exploits, superior athleticism and nightly highlight reels, he has to show two trophies that say he’s the league’s best player and as many meaningful team awards as you, me, Maury Povich and Charles Barkley combined.
Kobe, on the other hand, has only one of the former and five of the latter – a skewed ratio most certainly speaking to the paramount abilities of his teammates, but also to a borderline-maniacal work ethic giving rise to stories of legend.
One such goes like this: Bryant, a 32-year-old five-time champion, misses all three of his shot attempts in the last 67 seconds of a 6-point defeat in Miami. He turns the ball over with 41 seconds left, hits the showers, and then takes to the court. Again. At 10:47. And spends the next 90-some minutes working his body into a frothing sweat with jumpers, post drills, free-throws and three-pointers.
Kobe heads to the showers – for a second time – as a crowd of 100 now-trespassing spectators clear the first rows in the first hour of the early morning. Flight for Dallas leaves today.
Now cynics have decried this act of oneness either a publicity stunt or a transparent attempt to sharpen a complacent champion’s will. To this, pundits pile on by “coming to the defense” of the event staff Kobe kept up passed its bedtime.
Never mind that event staffs work events as these PRECISELY to watch one of the ten greatest ballplayers of all-time create in real-time a million-hit YouTube sensation. These naysaying assertions, on their face, are clearly insane.
Kobe said he needed to tweak his game. He said it’s his job to work out the kinks. He is a champion. He is also, in his vows, correct. There seems to be a correlation between the two.
While LeBron celebrated on South Beach a break in his five-game losing streak, Kobe was honing an already perfected craft. During LeBron’s prep for “The Decision”, Kobe developed a seventh post move. And in the time it took LeBron to map out the parade route, Kobe changed his diet, shaved his head and added 20 pounds to the benchpress.
So there’s a difference between LeBron and Kobe. One is the kind of guy who runs harder in the final lap, rises before the sun, defies age with compulsion, makes a scene to make a point, doesn’t cry in the locker room, doesn’t Tweet, doesn’t celebrate prematurely, doesn’t rest on his laurels, doesn’t take his talents to South Beach or for granted.
The other is LeBron James.
- Robbie
Thanks, U. Good to have you back in the fold.
LeBron’s not who we thought he was, but maybe we were wrong for all assuming someone with his talent would be able to rattle off that many championships without even trying.
I would argue that taking 500 jump shots a day IS wanting it more… and in the NBA, not as false a construct as one might think.
Everything I tried to say in 450 fewer words. Nice work. If we could only put Kobe’s brain in Lebron’s body… LJ’s still young, though. Maybe the light bulb goes off at some point.
Some guys are just wired differently. Not that LBJ doesn’t want success or a championship. Clearly he does. One huge difference between ‘Bron and Kobe (hell, between everyone and Kobe) is they want success; Kobe demands it. That’s the only reason I never got up in arms with the Kobe/Michael comparisons. It wasn’t really a comparison of their games (Kobe will never play defense with the tenacity of early 90s MJ) but more of their insane drive and passion. It’s often been said that MJ made up personal vendettas against his opponents, creating faux insults. He didn’t want to win, he needed to win. He needed to dominate. He needed to make it personal.
LeBron takes losing with a “well, there’s always next game” attitude. Kobe takes losing personally, with a “if we lose again, I’m going to rape your wife and kill your children” attitude.
You can’t teach it. You either have the killer drive, or you don’t. Not many people do, so I don’t really fault LBJ. But Kobe has it. Kobe has it in shit loads.
Early candidate for comment of the year. Extremely well said. I agree completely. And if Kobe is Michael, I’d say LeBron is Shaq-like: he’ll win a title eventually – and probably more than one – but he’s basically here to have fun and enjoy the riches of playing NBA basketball. Wire LJ and Diesel with Kobe’s mentality and those guys become two of the three greatest players ever.
If Diesel isn’t in the top 3 players of all time, he’s pretty damn close. I’d rank him in the top 5 without hesitation.
Back to the main topic. Lebron is the superior player. I openly admit this, even as a Kobe homer. It’s similar to Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. For all his greatness, Malone wasn’t blessed with “basketball” talents. He just worked extremely hard to stay in shape and perfected several aspects of his game (pick and roll, mid range jumper). Barkley, on the other hand, would rather gamble and drink beer than work on his game. The guy was an automatic 24 and 12… What did he have to really improve anyway? Well, Malone is now the second highest scoring player in NBA history and widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time (not named Tim Duncan), while Barkley is just a fat has been. Even if Lebron ends up winning a ring or two, he will never be on Kobe’s level of greatness. Like respect, greatness is earned. Lebron’s nonchalant view on life is his achilles heel.
Totally bias article !
LeBron may show lack of a ” killer instinct mindset,” but to say that the difference between Kobe and LeBron is purely killer drive is simply an abberation.
First of all, we are not even sure that LeBron doesn’t have that killer instinct, all we’re doing is just speculating on the man’s ability to finish games in crunch time situation.
The reason you are talking about all these non-sense is because he hasn’t won a Championship yet.
Kobe won his Championships with surplus amount of help while LeBron spent 7 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers with simply garbage players.
I am pretty sure Kobe would have asked to be traded already if we were to interchange them position so all that killer drive talk is just unfair to LeBron since he had no help in Cleveland.
It has been proven numerous time that one man simply can’t do it alone and LeBron is no different.
” So there’s a difference between LeBron and Kobe. One is the kind of guy who runs harder in the final lap, rises before the sun, defies age with compulsion, makes a scene to make a point, doesn’t cry in the locker room, doesn’t Tweet, doesn’t celebrate prematurely, doesn’t rest on his laurels, doesn’t take his talents to South Beach or for granted. ”
The way you established the differences between Kobe and Lebron only exposed clearly your spirit of fanaticism to push Kobe’s agenda and ridiculed LeBron in the process. However, I will give cut you some slacks for mentionning that LeBron is simly the most talented between the two as I know how hard it is for Kobe’s fan like you to admit the truth about LeBron.
Merry Christmas to all fans out there !!!!!!
Lebron james wack
They are different in a lot of ways. Kobe is like Michael Jordan, a legend and unique in more ways than one. LBJ is a great player and he has the potential of being like Kobe and Jordan. Kobe is on the throne while LBJ is still on his way.
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[...] The Difference Between LeBron and Kobe [...]
Strong post and I can’t disagree with a word of it.