Revisiting Kobe Bryant’s battles with LeBron James
Sadly, just as was the case with Kobe Bryant’s overlap with Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant never got to duke it out in a playoff series against each other. Calling their battles a “rivalry” is a bit of a stretch, as the back and forth between the two was limited to regular season contests and nationally televised Game of the Week showings.
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That doesn’t mean the two haven’t had their fun. Just because we never got to see a Finals matchup between the two hardly precluded some stat-heavy competition between the two preps-to-pros superstars. With Bryant lining up to play his final game (the Lakers have already been eliminated from the playoffs) against LeBron on Thursday night, we thought it best to take a look back at how these two have gone after each other since James hit the NBA scene in 2003:
January 12, 2004: Los Angeles 89, Cleveland 79
It’s fair to say that both LeBron and Kobe were in entirely different headspaces as they lined up to meet for the first time.
James had just turned 19, and was in the middle of a rookie season that had been awaited by those in the basketball community for what seemed like ages, even preceding his appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior. Bryant, meanwhile, was dealing with the fallout of his sexual assault accusation, while also clashing with teammate Shaquille O’Neal as co-workers both ring-less (Gary Payton, Karl Malone) and bejeweled (Phil Jackson, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox) begged with the star to try and get his act together.
Neither had it rolling on the first night. James missed 14 of 20 shots, adding seven assists and six turnovers, finishing with 16 points. Kobe was a bit of a ghost, scoring 10 points in only 17 minutes. An inauspicious debut, but an understandably iffy one.
January 13, 2005: Los Angeles 98, Cleveland 94
Bryant missed Cleveland and the Lakers’ second meeting during James’ rookie season, and nearly missed all of this contest after severely spraining his right ankle during the first quarter of the game. Bryant left after six minutes having scored one basket, but James’ 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists could not keep the Lakers from winning.
February 13, 2005: Cleveland 103, Los Angeles 89
In a pairing of two lottery-bound teams, neither Bryant nor James shot particularly well in their third meeting. Kobe missed 15 of 22 shots, but still managed to score 26 points by making all 11 of his free throws. James was slightly better at 8-20, scoring 25 points along with nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
It was Zydrunas Ilgauskas that took the dominant turn, scoring 30 points on 11-13 shooting with 11 rebounds in James’ first win over Kobe’s Lakers.
For both Bryant and James the 2005 offseason couldn’t hit soon enough.
The Cavaliers hired Danny Ferry as the team’s general manager following the second-straight playoff-less march of LeBron’s early career, and after a flirtation with Larry Brown Ferry decided to hire former San Antonio Spurs co-worker Mike Brown as rookie head coach. He spent the team’s cap space on two acquisitions that were widely lauded at the time: Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall.
The Lakers, meanwhile, put their figurative cap in hand and re-invited Phil Jackson (who had left the team following the 2003-04 season) to come back as coach. Jackson and Bryant could hardly work together during their last campaign together, as breathlessly detailed by the coach in his book ‘The Last Season,’ but after the horror show that was the 2004-05 season, Bryant had been humbled.
And LeBron finally had a team. No offense, Ira Newble.
January 12, 2006: Los Angeles 99, Cleveland 98
This one finally counted. Bryant hit what turned out to be the game-winner jumper in the final seconds …
… followed by a missed James free throw (that could have tied the game), and missed 18-foot jumper (following a Cavalier offensive rebound) from LeBron at the buzzer that could have won it – the start of endless and insipid “is LeBron James clutch?” arguments that have lasted on basic cable afternoon TV to this day. LeBron finished with 28 points on 11-22 shooting with nine assists and five turnovers, while Bryant overcame a bum right wrist to toss in 27 points on 21 shots with five turnovers.
March 19, 2006: Cleveland 96, Los Angeles 95
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, clearly not clutch, missed out on chances to win this one-point contest down the stretch. Bryant clanged a three-pointer at the buzzer, while James ceded to hybrid guard Flip Murray – a recent acquisition who hit the game-winning free throws on his way toward 21 points.
Murray rightfully credited the presence of James (28 points on 10-24 shooting, eight assists and seven turnovers) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (25 points and three blocks) for helping open up driving lanes for him. The Lakers were in control for most of the contest behind a masterful afternoon from Bryant (38 points), but fell apart down the stretch of the loss.
February 11, 2007: Cleveland 99, Los Angeles 90
James was hardly at his best in this win, missing 11 of 16 shots on his way toward 18 points, but Bryant’s tepid supporting cast couldn’t do much with his brilliant 36 points (on 12-24 shooting), seven rebounds and six assists. Sasha Pavlovic led the Cavs with 21 points off the bench.
February 15, 2007: Cleveland 114, Los Angeles 98
Just a few days later, LeBron made up for his dodgy play in the previous meeting between the two squads.
In his last game against Bryant before James’ first NBA Finals run, James notched 38 points on 10-16 shooting, putting an emphasis on the scoring end while leading a team that only finished 18th in offensive efficiency that year. Kobe, spurred on by 14 made free throws, poured in 34 points but turned the ball over six times in the loss:
December 20, 2007: Cleveland 94, Los Angeles 90
Kobe missed 14 of 22 shots on his way toward 21 points in the loss, while James added 33 points and 10 rebounds. The Laker loss came directly before an 11-1 Laker run that would vault the team into the realm of the championship contenders, staring down a LeBron-led Cavalier squad that had made the Finals six months prior.
January 27, 2008: Cleveland 98, Los Angeles 95
With the 27-14 Lakers having firmly established themselves as something more than an also-ran, following two straight first round defeats, James and Bryant went at it during what might have been their finest one-on-one duel:
James scored 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner over Bryant with 20 seconds remaining. Bryant countered with nine fourth quarter points and 33 overall (with 12 rebounds and six assists), but the Lakers could not get a shot off during the game’s final seconds, as Cleveland notched its fifth straight win over the Lakers.
Los Angeles would respond, a few days later, by dealing for Pau Gasol. Kobe and the Lakers would make their way out of the Western bracket and into the Finals that year behind the duo, while James’ Cavaliers would fail to defend their Eastern title – falling in the face of a lights-out Boston Celtics team that would go on to defeat Kobe in his return to the Finals stage.
January 19, 2009: Los Angeles 105, Cleveland 88
Though both teams entered the game with similar records, by now the Cavs had become a one-man show (not unlike Kobe’s Lakers a few seasons before), while the deeper Lakers were well on their way toward another championship. James missed 16 of 25 shots in the loss while turning it over six times, and Kobe was one of six Lakers in the team’s seven man rotation (Lamar Odom fell two points short) to score in double figures – he notched 12 assists to go along with 20 points.
February 8, 2009: Los Angeles 101, Cleveland 91
By now Kobe Bryant clearly had the superior team, and James had the built-in excuse of having to work in a rotation featuring Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic, but that doesn’t argue away James’ 5-20 shooting in this loss. James notched 12 assists, but Kobe was allowed to coast with 19 points as Lamar Odom’s 28 points led the way for the Lakers.
Los Angeles went on to win that year’s title. Cleveland went on to deal for 37-year old Shaquille O’Neal.
December 25, 2009: Cleveland 102, Los Angeles 87
In a bit of an upset (Cleveland was still starting Anthony Parker, after all), the Cavaliers wiped the floor with Los Angeles before a nationally-televised audience on Christmas Day. James added 26 points and nine assists, but he turned the ball over seven times. Kobe managed 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but he missed 22 of 33 shots.
The Staples Center fans responded by showering the court with foam fingers. It was not a fun afternoon:
January 21, 2010: Cleveland 93, Los Angeles 87
By now both teams seemed set for the first LeBron/Kobe Finals matchup of their careers, so each coaching staff responded with a slow-down, playoff-styled slugfest that saw the Cavs emerge at home. Bryant needed 31 shots to get his 31 points in the loss, while James bullied his way toward 37 points on 25 shots, adding nine assists. The eventual showdown seemed inevitable.
Instead, the Cavaliers lost in embarrassing fashion to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semis, while the Lakers worked their way back to the Finals and downed Boston in a championship rematch.
James would leave Cleveland for Miami a month after Kobe’s last Finals win and, if we’re honest, things were just about over by then.
December 25, 2010: Miami 96, Los Angeles 80
Both the Heat and Lakers seemed ill at ease throughout most of 2010-11, despite just about every preseason prognosticator assuming that the two would eventually meet up in that year’s championship round. The Heat were in the middle of a 21-1 run by the time they showed up to Stapes on Christmas Day, but that only came after a 9-8 start to the season. The Lakers, meanwhile, seemed unsteady and inconsistent in their approach.
James notched perhaps his best game against Kobe in this win, contributing 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and just one turnover in what was a low-possession game. Bryant had seven assists, but missed 10 of 16 shots on his way toward 17 points.
March 10, 2011: Miami 94, Los Angeles 88
In another studied and slow contest, James missed 10 of 17 shots but added 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the win. Bryant missed 13 of 21 shots on his way toward 24 points.
Following the contest, despite the fact that there was an available practice court for him to shoot at away from the milling media presence, Kobe Bryant shot for an hour after the contest on Miami’s American Airlines Arena floor, in full view of drooling newspaper general columnists and cable TV-types. Though it was nice of Kobe to provide all of us with a “look at him work!”-storyline following a rather dull game, it was clearly a transparent move that had most of us rolling our eyes.
Both players would have embarrassing ends to their seasons. Kobe’s Lakers fell apart in a second round sweep at the hand of the Dallas Mavericks, as Phil Jackson walked away for a second time (though he attempted to return as Laker coach a year and a half later). Those same Mavericks took down LeBron’s Heat in the Finals, as Miami failed to counter Dallas’ defensive machinations.
An NBA lockout followed, and prior to the league’s truncated 2011-12 campaign Los Angeles appeared to swing a trade bringing Chris Paul to the Lakers in a three-team deal. That move was later squashed by the league’s front office, which owned Paul’s New Orleans Hornets at the time, and as a result the Lakers (now coached by Mike Brown) entered 2011-12 a dispirited bunch.
January 19, 2012: Miami 98, Los Angeles 87
LeBron, now clearly in his prime, gave the Lakers 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a combined seven blocks/steals as the Heat kept the Lakers at arm’s length throughout this contest. Bryant added seven assists, but needed 21 shots to score his 24 points.
March 4, 2012: Los Angeles 93, Miami 83
Having lost 11 out of his last 13 pairings with LeBron, Kobe went to work in this one.
The legend scored 33 points on just 23 shots in the win. LeBron had the edge in the all-around realm – he managed 25 points (on 26 shots) with 13 rebounds, seven assists and five combined blocks/steals – but Bryant’s Lakers would take the ABC-aired contest.
Bryant would again go out in the second round that season, while James seemed to flip a switch in yet another pairing with those Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals – leading the Heat to a seven-game series win (following a 3-2 deficit), prior to taking in his first title a round later.
The Lakers, as they often do, responded with the big names.
In July, the team engineered a sign-and-trade deal for Steve Nash. A month later, they landed Dwight Howard via a three-team trade. A winless exhibition season followed, though, as did a slow start to the season that cost Mike Brown his job. Basketball president Jim Buss passed on hiring Phil Jackson in order to bring Mike D’Antoni to Los Angeles, but the results were middling.
By the time they met the defending champs, the Lakers were in a weird place.
January 27, 2013: Miami 99, Los Angeles 90
Both Kobe and LeBron were afforded 25 shots in this game, but James managed 39 points with his to Bryant’s 22. Kobe had one assist to James’ eight, LeBron also added seven rebounds, and it was obvious this just wasn’t a fair fight anymore between the 28-year old James and the 34-year old Kobe.
The loss left Los Angeles with a 17-22 record.
February 10, 2013: Miami 107, Los Angeles 97
The Heat were four wins into what would become a 27-game winning streak when the Lakers came to town. Bryant had a great game, ending his night with 28 points on 11-19 shooting, with six rebounds and nine assists. James hit two-thirds of his shots on his way toward 32 points with three steals.
By now, despite plenty of expectation in October, nobody was predicting a potential Finals pairing between the two. Two months later, Kobe Bryant would tear his Achilles tendon. He would not play in two contests against James’ Heat during LeBron’s final season in Miami during 2013-14.
James would re-sign with the Cavaliers in 2014, following a Finals loss to San Antonio.
January 15, 2015: Cleveland 109, Los Angeles 102
In his first pairing with LeBron in nearly two years, Kobe busted out the old man game and notched 17 assists in the loss – his highest mark of the season. James, working with a Cavalier team that entered the contest with a 19-20 record, added 36 points on 12-23 shooting, with five assists to one turnover.
Bryant ended his 2014-15 campaign with his third (Achilles, broken leg, separated shoulder) season-ending injury in as many years.
February 10, 2016: Cleveland 120, Los Angeles 111
In the pair’s penultimate meeting, Bryant missed 11 of 16 shots on his way toward 17 points. James, still on the edges of his prime, responded with a 33-point, 11-assist, seven-rebound, one-turnover night.
Following the contest, Bryant (perhaps unsure if his dodgy shoulder would allow him to make it a month later) gave LeBron a signed pair of his shoes.
***
The final tallies? Well, this is a team sport, but let’s dive in.
James has won 15 out of 21 games heading into Thursday night, and has the advantage over LeBron in both points per game (28.4 to 24.6) along with shooting efficiency, rebounds, and assists per game.
LeBron has also won as many championships as Kobe during their career overlap, but this was never the point.
It’s a team game. It was as much when LeBron James was seated next to Eric Snow as it was when Kobe was working alongside Smush Parker. When James had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at his side, or when Bryant had Shaquille O’Neal or Pau Gasol. LeBron James will retire as the superior all-around player in comparison to Bryant, but the supposed “head to head” (in a five-man sport?) comparisons can’t be taken seriously considering that their shared era included Bryant’s post-Shaq lean years, and his injury plagued final three seasons.
LeBron had his own issues in Cleveland to work through, prior to 2010, further reason why strictly comparing a 1996 high school graduate’s work with a 2003’s graduate’s work is outright silly. Kobe Bryant came to the NBA to see Shaq at the team photo shoot, and LeBron’s first NBA practice included Darius Miles; with DaSagana Diop and DaJuan Wagner acting as his team’s prior two lottery picks. Sometimes, the fates are out of the players’ hands.
On Thursday, they’ll have one more night of hand-to-hand one-upmanship. Enjoy it.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
