“I’d take Kobe Bryant over LeBron James”: When Kevin Durant made his pick between the two Lakers icons

Kevin Durant settled on Kobe Bryant over LeBron James when asked who would win in a one-on-one situation between the two. 

It’s no question that Kobe Bryant had the deepest bag of tricks the NBA has ever seen from an offensive player. The amount of counters he had up his sleeve almost always kept the defense on their toes, leading to him taking and most probably making shots that players could only dream to attempt in a real game. 

LeBron James on the other hand, though he’s extremely skilled on the offensive end of the floor as well, he isn’t the same type of player as Kobe Bryant. In all fairness to the Cavaliers legend, he’s refined his shooting over the past couple of years, perhaps taking a page out of Kobe’s book and perfecting his fadeaway jumper.

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Kevin Durant, who’s widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers of all time, was asked about who he would pick between Kobe and LeBron in a one-on-one situation. Safe to say his answer wasn’t all too shocking. 

Kevin Durant takes Kobe Bryant over LeBron James. 

Kevin Durant has said on multiple occasions that he looked up to Kobe Bryant growing up. “He was a God to me,” joked KD upon playing with him during the Olympics. So, when asked to choose between James and Bryant, it’s easy to assume that the 2x champ would pick the latter.

 

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This was question was posed to him in 2011, a year prior to his meeting with ‘The King’ in the NBA Finals. Durant had seen firsthand what it was like to play against Kobe Bryant at a high level as the Lakers eliminated the Thunder in 2010 Playoffs. 

Other players like Matt Barnes and John Wall were asked the same question. Barnes, who beefed with Kobe on the court but would later become his teammate, chose him as well. Wall was the only person to give the edge to LeBron James, but implied he would win only if he said bully-ball tactics.