Over the last 20 to 25 years, LeBron James and the late great Kobe Bryant have been arguably the two greatest players to play in the NBA. It speaks to the greatness of the Los Angeles Lakers that they have had both legends with only a two-year gap between Bryant’s retirement in 2016 and James’ arrival.
There is a hot debate, especially among Lakers fans, about whether Bryant or James is the better player. Both could be seen as part of the evolutionary line of wings that can be traced back to Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who played a huge role in elevating the popularity of basketball in the 1970s and 1980s.
Erving was asked by “The Schmo” whether he would pick Bryant and James, and he explained why he would go with James.
“I think LeBron is one-of-one,” Erving said. “Kobe’s another sort of, imitation of Michael Jordan. There’ve been plenty of imitations of Michael and Kobe and me and other people. But LeBron is like one of one so I’ma give him his pick.”
There were plenty of “imitations” of Michael Jordan, but of all of them, Bryant, by far, came the closest to matching the greatness of “His Airness.” One could even generally describe Bryant as a less physically gifted clone of Jordan.
James, on the other hand, is a player who is hard to compare to the greats of the past. Perhaps he has some Erving in him as far as being a terror in the open court, but he’s also a great passer, and when he was in his 20s, he was considered an elite defender.
At age 41, James led the NBA in fast-break points per game during the regular season this year. Erving retired at the age of 37 in 1987 after 16 combined seasons in the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA).
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Julius Erving on why he would take LeBron James over Kobe Bryant
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
