KB24 vs Dr. J

[etopn23]

I was just wondering what the general consensus was on RealGM for this comparison.

Kobe Bryant

Awards and achievements
* 3-time NBA champion: 2000, 2001, 2002
* NBA Most Valuable Player: 2008
* 2-time scoring champion: 2006, 2007
* 10-time NBA All-Star: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
* 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2002, 2007
* 10-time All-NBA Selection:
* First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
* Second Team: 2000, 2001
* Third Team: 1999, 2005
* 8-time All-Defensive Selection:
* First Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
* Second Team: 2001, 2002
* NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1997
* NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion: 1997
* NBA regular season leader in:
* points: 2003 (2,461), 2006 (2,832, 7th in NBA history), 2007 (2,430), 2008 (2,323)
* points per game: 2006 (35.4, 9th in NBA history), 2007 (31.6)
* field goals attempted: 2006 (2,173), 2007 (1,757), 2008 (1,690)
* field goals made: 2003 (868), 2006 (978), 2007 (813)
* free throws attempted: 2006 (819), 2007 (768)
* free throws made: 2006 (696), 2007 (667)
* 2nd most points in a Game: 81 (January 22, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors)

Julius Erving

Awards
* ABA MVP (1974, 1976)
* ABA First Team All-Defense (1975)
* ABA First Team All-Star (1973-76)
* 2 ABA championships with New York Nets (1974, 1976)
* Led the ABA in scoring (1973, 31.9 ppg) and in 1974 (27.4 ppg)
* Five-time ABA All-Star (1972-76)
* Holds ABA career record for highest scoring average (28.7 ppg) in a minimum of 250 games
* NBA MVP (1981)
* Sporting News NBA MVP (1981)
* All-NBA First Team (1978, 1980-83)
* All-NBA Second Team (1977, 1984)
* 11 NBA All-Star Games (1977-87)
* Two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (1977-after scoring 30 points, 1983-after scoring 25 points)
Career rankings
* One of only five players in pro basketball history to score more than 30,000 career points
* Upon enshrinement, ranked in combined ABA/NBA history top 10 in the following categories:
o third in scoring (30,026, 24.2 ppg),
o eighth in games played (1,243),
o seventh in minutes played (45,227),
o third in field goals made (11,818),
o fifth in field goals attempted (23,370),
o third in most free throws made (6,256) and first in steals

1) Who do you think was the better player in their respective primes?
2) Who do you think will have the better career (when it's all said and done for Kobe)?

[Patterns]

Better player: Kobe
Better career: Kobe
Will be remembered more: Kobe
Better Dunker: Dr.J

[JordansBulls]

I asked this question sometime last year and the general opinion was that they were relatively equal with some going with the Dr by a hair and others with Kobe by a hair. Adding this year into the equation, Kobe would probably take it.

[A.J.]

Kobe

[PimpORL]

Better player: Kobe
Better career: Kobe
Will be remembered more: Kobe
Better Dunker: Dr.J

[penbeast0]

Better peak player: Kobe
Better career: Close, Before this year, Dr. J, now . . . depends on playoffs
Will be remembered more: Dr. J
[/quote]

[shawngoat23]

Kobe if you account for only NBA; Dr. J if you account for his prime in the ABA.

We're talking a guy who had career highs of 31.9 ppg, 15.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.5 apg, 2.4 bpg, 54.6% FG, and 84.5% FT. Granted, they didn't all come in the same year, but the point remains that he was a nasty, nasty player.

Doctor MJ can tell you more, but consider this. In the last year of the ABA, Erving led his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks to lead the Nets to the championship over the Nuggets. The very next year after joining the NBA, the Nuggets tied for the second best record in the league (next to the 76ers), so obviously, an elite ABA team with its cast intact was an elite NBA team. The Nets were by far the worst team in the league, and the only significant loss on their team was Erving.