Why Matt Barnes Found Kobe Bryant Tougher to Guard Than LeBron James

Among those players who’ve had the privilege of playing against both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, picking the better player is quite the luxury. But, considering how different the two legends are from a playstyle perspective, there are of course preferences when it comes to which one they’d rather guard. Matt Barnes for instance, has a reason why he’d pick Bryant over James.

Barnes, on the Club 520 podcast, spoke about the toughest players to play against in the NBA, and began by lamenting over the fact that he missed playing against Michael Jordan by just a year. But he did go up against Bryant, someone who has been credited to being similar to MJ by many over the years.

With the Black Mamba, Barnes, a 14-year NBA veteran, felt it was always a mental game. There were several great scorers in the league, but no one exploited a defender’s weakness quite like Bryant did.

“Kobe’s skillset was obviously… you look at Bron’s greatness and the all-time league scorer and top five assists, and KD’s effortless scoring, T-Mac’s scoring, Paul Pierce’s scoring… but Kobe was different from a attacking [point of view],” Barnes said.

Nothing Bryant did was predictable, the 2017 NBA champ further insisted. He always took time out to study those he went up against, and when it was time to lock horns, he would almost certainly come out on top.

“He would look at you, how you lined up, or how you’re swiping at the ball and attack any weakness he saw,” Barnes continued. “So, it was always more of a mental game than anything for him, because he was gonna try and destroy you mentally, and outthink you the entire game instead of depending on anything else.” 

Barnes’ testament was no different than what most have said about Kobe. As a competitor, he was unique, and an unrivaled killer instinct. No one’s been able to come close to that, by most experts’ accounts.

This isn’t to say Bron isn’t a ruthless go-getter on the court. Matt actually has quite a bit of respect for the ‘Chosen One’, picking him as the player he’d want to team up with if he was in the NBA today.

Bron is one of the greatest ever, and would be the GOAT pick for many ahead of Bryant. But players who have faced Bryant at his peak usually tend to side with him when it comes to these comparisons.