The funny part is LeBron even said last night that Kobe was hands down the best player in the league.
I disagree with him.
Now that LeBron is playing defense at an All Nba level and is taking on the challenge of guarding the other team's best perimeter player (especially in the most critical times) he's elevated his game past Kobe.
Now there's no question Kobe is a better shooter than LeBron, but outside of that where is Kobe better ? Is he a better overall scorer ?? I don't think so. Kobe's best year scoring was 05-06 where he averaged 35.. LeBron averaged 31 that same season and averaged 2 more assists as well I believe.. Clearly LeBron was passing more and Kobe was shooting more.
Is Kobe the better ball handler/passer/rebounder/decision maker ?? I don't think so as well.. Kobe can't run an offense like LeBron.. Kobe gets his in the post, and LeBron operates at the top..
Kobe is one of the best, and so is LeBron.. You can't go wrong either way..But, outside of shooting the ball, I don't see where Kobe is the better overall basketball player..
Not gonna try to change your overall opinion, but your claim about better scorer is pretty "unique" after Kobe has done things in scoring that only Wilt, Elgin, and Mike have done.
Kobe is actually a fantastic passer, he pulls out some Kidd-quality deceptive passes (look-aways, bounces, in-traffic stuff, etc). That aspect of his game only comes out when he feels like it, tho. So in terms of who's a better playmaker, that has to go to James due to volume.
Kobe can't run an offense? He was the initiator of his offense on 2 title teams. PGs don't run the triangle offense. He has to be given the same credit on that front that Pippen, Harper, and Jordan got -- but it rarely is said.
Decision maker? This is a bit of a vague term because it could mean "decision maker in terms of passing" or "decision maker in terms of what a player should do in certain situations". I'm going w/ the 2nd definition. Bron takes this if only because he does what he's told (so far). Kobe is willful as all Hell, I must say. You never know what to expect out of him, but sometimes that is to the opp's detriment.
^ Btw, you can see the "good boy" and "willful boy" come out in their respective personas too. Bron went by the book to get to where he is and become the type of player he is. Kobe went against the grain to get to where he is and become the type of player he is.