Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, and both have played for the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise.
However, there appears to be a bit of a divide between L.A. fans that love one player or the other. Three-time Lakers champion Byron Scott recently spoke to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson about the two players, and he shared that there isn’t the same devotion to James that there was for Bryant during his time as a Laker.
“No,” Scott said. “It’s kinda weird here in L.A. If you love Kobe, you’re not a LeBron fan. And that’s just the fans here in L.A. and I don’t know why you can’t be both. LeBron is a tremendous basketball player and just because you were a big Kobe fan, you’re not showing him any disloyalty whatsoever if you love the way LeBron plays the game. But, L.A. is kind of divided when it comes to that when it comes to Kobe and LeBron for whatever reason but, me personally I think LeBron is one of the greatest. I don’t think he is the ‘greatest’ but I definitely think that he’s on that Mount Rushmore.”
It’s strange that fans would be divided on the two superstars, especially since both won at least one title in Los Angeles.
Bryant, who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January of 2020, led the Lakers to five titles in his career, winning a pair of NBA Finals MVPs. He was a part of the Lakers’ three-peat in the early 2000s and the driving force behind their NBA Finals triumphs over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics later on in his career.
During his playing career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc. He will forever be one of the most important figures in Lakers history, and he’s been honored by the franchise with multiple statues.
While Bryant played his entire career with the Lakers, James joined the franchise later on in his career. Still, he’s been with the Lakers since the 2018-19 season, and the 40-year-old led L.A. to a title in the 2019-20 campaign.
James was the Finals MVP in that title run, leading the Lakers past the Miami Heat in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble. While that’s the only title that James, a four-time NBA champion overall, has won with the Purple and Gold, it was still an immense accomplishment to bring the Lakers back to the mountaintop of the NBA.
As James nears the end of his career, hopefully fans will start to appreciate all that he’s done for the Lakers and the NBA. He and Bryant are both legendary players, and there’s no reason fans should have to choose between one player and the other.
This season, James will turn 41, but he’s still producing at a high level for a Lakers team that is the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The star forward is averaging 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season and has scored over 20 points in four of his last five games.
If James helps the Lakers win another title, he’ll only further himself as a franchise icon and legend before his playing days are over.