While talking about the NBA greats of this decade, the names of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James instantly come to mind. Despite both achieving tremendous success, fans often put them in different brackets because of their distinctive qualities. So, one question that lingers to this day is what attributes differentiate these two legends? Amidst the anticipation, Dwyane Wade has listed out his opinion.
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On the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the 42-year-old revealed the intricate details to the co-hosts, Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero. Upon the latter specifically inquiring about this, Wade pointed out how James and Bryant’s fixation on greatness linked them together. However, they chose different paths to reach the mountaintop, as the 3x champion mentioned,
“They were similar because they both went after greatness in a way that we have never seen… But they are total opposites when it comes to their actual ability to be great… They’re so polar opposites… So, the level of obsessiveness that they both had is the things that we can say but the way they did it, totally different”.
Wade even referenced their work ethics to elaborate on this viewpoint. While there was an air of ‘mystique’ around Bryant’s training regime, James’ practice sessions were equally unique. Both used to rely on discipline, dedication, and consistency, but in the way they saw fit.
Moreover, the duo had different approaches as players and leaders. Bryant was infamous for keeping his teammates at a distance and leading by example, while James became popular for making everyone feel included. This was reflected in their playing styles as fans started associating The Black Mamba with scoring while the Akron-born was recognized for his team-oriented plays.
Dwight Howard, a former teammate of both legends, summarized this contrast during his appearance on The OGs. “LeBron is doing all the plays, he’s like a coach, and Kobe’s like ‘Give me that ball and I’m gonna handle it,'” he recalled. This reiterated how these icons shared a similar mindset, yet chose two distinctive ways to leave a mark on this league.
As a result, Wade quickly understood the value of having one of these all-time greats on his side to counter the threat of the other one.
Dwyane Wade called LeBron James after Kobe Bryant’s success
Following a heartbreak in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant was determined to claim the throne again. Fueled by determination, the Black Mamba spearheaded precisely this in the subsequent seasons. His Los Angeles Lakers won the title back-to-back in 2009 and 2010, turning him into a five-time champion.
While a part of California rejoiced in this success, the rest of the NBA was busy strategizing to counter this dominance. This led to James’ move to the Miami Heat, where he teamed up with Wade and Chris Bosh. As expected, this changed the course of the NBA while ending the Lakers’ winning streak.
Reflecting on this period, Wade admitted to instigating the entire thing. Last year, he publicly accepted calling James after the 2010 NBA Finals, recalling,
“When I watched Kobe run and grab the ball and celebrate, I was like, ‘So what you [LeBron James] gonna do?’. That was our summer free agency. They [Los Angeles Lakers] were dominating. I was like, ‘Hold on. Now you got five and we got one? No!'”.
This highlighted the other side of greatness. It came with a cost that profoundly impacted people around these aspirants. This reminds us to be careful about what we aim for, as there’s often no turning back from these changes.
