LeBron James Will Not Win a Championship As Long As Kobe Is Still in the NBA

LeBron James is one of the most physically gifted athletes ever to play the game of basketball. He has an abundance of skill, to go with all of his natural attributes.

People who have seen him play live say he looks like he is running downhill the whole game. With all of his power, speed, and ability, one would think he has several championships in his first seven years in the league.

Then you have Kobe Bryant, who is arguably one of the most prolific scorers, and all-around players the game has ever seen.

He has all of the attributes of all of the greatest players, and has a determination and will that is rivaled by none.

Kobe takes his game to another level when he has to, and when the game is on the line, his killer instincts take over to the extent that ice cubes flow in his blood.

James is a great player, and this article is definitely not a knock on him. He is a dominant force in the game and has incredible skill, so don't think I hate on him. The boy got skills.

The situation regarding Bryant and James really reminds me of Jordan and Malone in the 90s. Both were amazing players and were the best at their perspective positions. The one thing that separated them was the drive and will that Jordan possessed.

Malone is regarded as one of the best small forwards of all time, and is even in the Hall of Fame. I see James in the same light; he will probably go down as the best small forward, even surpassing Malone.

LeBron, like Malone, has created a track record of being a MVP in the regular season, and always seeming to come up short in the playoffs.

I am not even looking at his alleged "quitting performance" in the last two seasons. James is not a quitter at all. He just is not of the same pedigree as a Kobe Bryant or a Michael Jordan, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Like Michael Jordan, Kobe is at the point in his career where if he has a good team around him, he will dominate and lead his team to the end no matter what. Wade is similar to Kobe in that matter; hopefully that will rub off on James.

LeBron James is a very likable guy, whose sole purpose is to entertain. Kobe is just a pure competitor who only wants to win, and does not care if people like him if he can win it all.

Even with the great teams that Cleveland had the last few years, he could not do it. They had the best record in the regular season, James was named MVP, but James just didn't seem to have the mental focus or the ability to make his teammates feel like they should play their best ball to help him succeed. That is the biggest difference thing that separates Kobe and LeBron.

Now, with LeBron joining Wade and Bosh in Miami, a lot of people think that the Heat will win championships as long as that team stays together.

This Heat team will be a juggernaut out in the east, and will win tons of games, no doubt. Maybe not next year, but definitely for years to come they should come out of the east.

But, as long as LeBron James wants to be an entertainer and not a basketball player, he can never beat the superior competitor in Kobe Bryant.

When Kobe decides to hang it up after a career that will only be rivaled by Jordan, then maybe James will be able to get his. And that’s only if Durant doesn’t have a team that’s worthy to win it all.

I do feel bad for Wade and all those Heat fans who will be sorely disappointed for the next few years. Until James develops that winning attitude, and starts getting serious, he just won’t win. And Kobe will definitely make sure of that.


Source: Chris Jett, www.bleacherreport.com