Kobe says he could beat LeBron 1 on 1 - what do you think?

[Joao Saraiva]

I'd take a Kobe jumpshot over a Lebron's J any day.

Maybe yes. Have you ever played basketball against a bigger player with the same skills? He'll just back you down and score every time. There's no way Kobe can win against LeBron.

[TheOUTLAW]

I know what Kobe is going through. We are both the same age. Trying to hold onto his youth and getting a cold hard slap from reality. Just the other day I went to the movies and some girl there referred to me as "sir". Ugh...it hurts I tell you.

yea, i'm 33 and it is odd reading how kobe is old and done ... makes me wonder what i'll be next year.

maybe i just have to dress like an **** with baggy pants or act like some fool from the Jersey Shore so people still think im young

I'm older than both of you and it's even more strange calling someone old that is significantly younger than you.

[TheOUTLAW]

Prime Kobe would absolutely wreck Lebron, it's what Kobe does.

He never wrecked LeBron while in the NBA

[Mattsanity]

Bryant wins. You mad?

[aggo]

You guys are massively underrated Kobe's will to win

and you're underestimating lebron's ability to back guys down for layups or to explode off the dribble


only melo/durant can keep up with him.


you guys think melo/durant/kobe would be some j fest? please....


lebron would try and back down kobe/durant all the time for layups, he could do that in his sleep, how does a jumpshooter keep up with that kind of efficiency? you cant.

[Run DLC]

If we are talking right now than I would give Lebron a slight edge. Prime vs Prime Kobe is just as strong as Lebron and athletic.
Kobe wins!

GTFO with this bull. Kobe was never as freakishly as athletic and strong as LeBron is. I don't know who would win, but to say that Kobe was as athletic and strong as LeBron is ludicrous.

[nbhadja]

Lebron would destroy Kobe. He would post up and back down to the basket easily. Kobe is way too weak to stop it. Also Lebron would force Kobe to shoot 30% in 1 on 1 just like in a real bball game.

[LetItRain]

Jordan could beat Kobe right now. Kobe wouldn't come close to beating Lebron.

[soxfan2003]

Kobe at his athletic best was arguably quicker and certainly a slightly better leaper then Lebron at least from what I've seen with my eyes.

That being said, Lebron is slightly taller, faster and MUCH stronger then Kobe ever was. In a slow down game in which Lebron is able to get inside, he beats Kobe in most games of 1 on 1. But if the rules or a let's say a 10 second shot clock make it harder for James to get inside to overpower Kobe, Kobe at his athletic best may have an advantage since he was the better midrange shooter and had more moves

[TaiLs21]

If Kobe won, Nike would confiscate the video

[doozyj]

Prime Kobe would absolutely wreck Lebron, it's what Kobe does.

He never wrecked LeBron while in the NBA

Irrelevant, we are discussing 1 on 1. Lebron never won 5 rings either. See how irrelevancy has no place in the discussion.

Kobe is a 1 on 1 iso player, that's what he does and he does it better than anybody in the world. That is his forte. Lebron doesn't have to be the best at everthing as most people these days just assume because he is the face of the NBA. Prime Kobe would wreck Lebron, even todays Kobe would probably beat Lebron, his post up game is remarkable, his footwork is second to none his and fade away jumpshots are his specialty. The guy is has been constantly double and triple teamed ever since being in the NBA. He can handle 1 defender. Period.

All this talk of Lebron backing Kobe down is BS, the guy isn't a good post up player, if he was any good at that then he would genuinely be the best ever to play the game, but in reality his strengths are in transition basketball, court vision and passing. And what is withh all this talk about being bigger, if that was the case Shawn Bradley would beat Lebron on 1 on 1.

So again my opinion stands.

[imchillin]

Prime Kobe would absolutely wreck Lebron, it's what Kobe does.

He never wrecked LeBron while in the NBA

Irrelevant, we are discussing 1 on 1. Lebron never won 5 rings either. See how irrelevancy has no place in the discussion.

Kobe is a 1 on 1 iso player, that's what he does and he does it better than anybody in the world. That is his forte. Lebron doesn't have to be the best at everthing as most people these days just assume because he is the face of the NBA. Prime Kobe would wreck Lebron, even todays Kobe would probably beat Lebron, his post up game is remarkable, his footwork is second to none his and fade away jumpshots are his specialty. The guy is has been constantly double and triple teamed ever since being in the NBA. He can handle 1 defender. Period.

All this talk of Lebron backing Kobe down is BS, the guy isn't a good post up player, if he was any good at that then he would genuinely be the best ever to play the game, but in reality his strengths are in transition basketball, court vision and passing. And what is withh all this talk about being bigger, if that was the case Shawn Bradley would beat Lebron on 1 on 1.

So again my opinion stands.

but kobe didn't play Lebron to get his rings and so yes its irrelevant. kobe's lakers lost alot to lebron's cavs too


Prime kobe, prime lebron whatever, lebron still wins, strength, defense, length. Kobe might never get a rebound unless it falls into his hands, seriously don't see how kobe wins..

Lebron would go pistons ECF lebron on kobe

[doozyj]

Kobe would go 2007 Finals Spurs on Lebron.

[imchillin]

Kobe would go 2007 Finals Spurs on Lebron.

more like game 7 finals Boston Celtics when Artest saved his legacy. Kobe too small for lebron man...please

[eagereyez]

How is this a debate? Lebron would murder Kobe simply because he's bigger/faster and will win the battle under the rim 90% of the time. It's like putting Lebron against Shaq, Shaq would murder Lebron by simply backing him down under the rim unless Lebron never misses a fadeaway jump shot.

[Don Ford]

Kobe's definitely more of a one on one player than LeBron so I think that a prime Kobe would beat a prime LeBron 1 on 1. But Kobe isn't in his prime anymore and LeBron is right in the middle of his so I'm not sure who would win right now. Would certainly like to see it though. I wish that they would add a 1 on 1 tournament to the AS game activities.

[TheOUTLAW]

Prime Kobe would absolutely wreck Lebron, it's what Kobe does.

He never wrecked LeBron while in the NBA

Irrelevant, we are discussing 1 on 1. Lebron never won 5 rings either. See how irrelevancy has no place in the discussion.

Kobe is a 1 on 1 iso player, that's what he does and he does it better than anybody in the world. That is his forte. Lebron doesn't have to be the best at everthing as most people these days just assume because he is the face of the NBA. Prime Kobe would wreck Lebron, even todays Kobe would probably beat Lebron, his post up game is remarkable, his footwork is second to none his and fade away jumpshots are his specialty. The guy is has been constantly double and triple teamed ever since being in the NBA. He can handle 1 defender. Period.

All this talk of Lebron backing Kobe down is BS, the guy isn't a good post up player, if he was any good at that then he would genuinely be the best ever to play the game, but in reality his strengths are in transition basketball, court vision and passing. And what is withh all this talk about being bigger, if that was the case Shawn Bradley would beat Lebron on 1 on 1.

So again my opinion stands.

Shawn Bradley was not big at all. He was actually quite tall but thin. LeBron is both bigger and taller than Kobe not to mention stronger.

[Kobe Bean]

This thread...smh

Kobe is easily a top 3 1v1 player of a time in his prime

1v1 isn't so much about physicality than it is about the combination of it and skill, with skill level
being much more important at any stage above pick-up ball. I'm 6'3 and I've been playing ball at a club for 10 years now. Got frequently torched by little 5'9 guys with a superior shot/post game and frequently beat guys much taller than me. Point being, unless you have the mismatch advantage of a god damn 7 footer or Karl Malone your size and athleticism advantage don't exactly matter much, provided you're in basketball shape yourself.

Prime Kobe would roast LeBron the same way 1-armed Kobe torched T-Mac in 2004. He was a 235 lbs elite defender at that stage of his career and would force LeBron into jumpshots/post shots that he's much more comfortable shooting than Bron has ever been. Old man Kobe could still make it a game but the only reason Bron would win is because KB's legs won't be able to keep up for that long.

I mean seriously, 1v1 prowess is the one thing you can't take away from Kobe yet people still go with LeBron, who for a perimeter superstar has an average 1v1 game at best. LeBron is a better all-around NBA player than Kobe has ever been, but one on one? No.frickin.way

[john248]

Right now if both were to play a best of 7, I'd pick LBJ to win 4:2. If it were prime vs prime, I'd flip a coin for game 7. LeBron isn't going to murder Kobe as some suggest. There will be plenty of instances where LeBron overpowers Kobe just as there will be plenty of instances where Kobe can beat LeBron off the dribble and hit a nice midrange shot, in the post, or get to the hoop.