The Kobe-LeBron debate (best player in the world), is an ongoing debate when ever people talk NBA basketball. People call 'Bron the best player in the world and a lot of critics and Kobe fans have a problem with that. The main argument that always arises is, "Who has more rings?" Championship rings speak for themselves; but are championships the only thing that define greatness?
We all know that LeBron has no clutch gene and has yet to win an NBA Championship, which causes the huge debate. If "Kobe lovers" want to go off of championships though, Kobe wouldn't even be considered the best player in the world.
If we categorized NBA greatness by championship rings Kobe would be 23rd on the list (5). If championships defined the best player in the world Bill Russel would be considered the greatest (13). Robert Horry would even be in the debate. He has more rings than Kobe (7).
With that being said, I'm not a complete idiot, I definitely know that Horry is not a better player than Kobe Bryant. Horry won 3 of his rings with Kobe. Of course Bill Russel is retired and the debate should only be between active players because every great thing gets old. But if we are going to talk about active players, Kobe and 'Bron are the best players in the NBA.
Kobe is the second best scorer of all-time, behind Michael Jordan of course. "The Black Mamba" is so great because nobody can stop him. If you are the only person who can stop yourself, you obviously are doing something great. He can get to the rim, shoot from the outside and hit a mid-range jumper as consistent as the SportsCenter analysts said Tim Tebow's name after his first playoff victory.
'Bron is an explosive athlete. There is no stopping him when he wants to get to the rim. His mid-range game has come along very well and his three-point shot has gone up 8% from last season. But it seems like he continues to disappear late in games when his team needs him the most. His consistent failure to seal the deal in the NBA Finals has him ringless.
Even though 'Bron is ringless, he has done so many other things. He was the youngest Rookie of The Year, the youngest to reach 5,000 points, an MVP award (08'-09') and a gold medal from Beijing.
If you had to ask me, I would say that Kobe is the most gifted scorer in the game right now; who can't win a championship without a big man *cough, cough*. And Bron is the most physically gifted player in the game right now; who has no clutch gene and continues to struggle in the 4th quarter when needed most. But the bottom line is that greatness isn't only defined in how many rings a player has. There are many of great players in the NBA Hall of Fame who have never won a championship. Kobe is the closest thing to Michael Jordan and Jordan is the best player of all time, which is another reason why people continue to put Kobe on that pedestal.
