The boxing legend felt LBJ didn’t have the resume yet to be compared to KB. The debate about who was the best player in the NBA during the late 2000s and early 2010 between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James was a heated topic of discussion. Everybody wanted to share their two cents on the matter, and even personalities outside of the basketball world chipped in.
In a 2010 edition of SLAM Magazine, one of the best boxers ever, Floyd Mayweather, shared his view on the debate. ‘Money’ explained why Bron really couldn’t be looked at higher than Bean due to the disparity in rings.
“When it’s all said and done at the end of your career and the end of the day, it’s about championships. Can LeBron win one championship? Yes, it’s possible. As of right now, we’re not talking about wouldas and couldas. We’re talking about what’s going on,” Floyd said.
At the time, LeBron was still chasing that elusive first ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite all the pressure, hype, and expectations on James’ shoulders, he simply couldn’t carry his Cavs teams over the hump despite being regarded as the best individual in the Association.
On the other hand, Kobe was living his second prime, adding two rings to his already stacked resume of three championships he won early in his career alongside Shaquille O’Neal. So, although his game or numbers weren’t as flashy as Bron’s, many people viewed ‘The Black Mamba’ as the ultimate winner and face of the NBA.
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“Kobe has won championships. But right now, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing extrodrinary basketball. LeBron James is an extraordinary, explosive player. But Kobe Bryant has championships. And Kobe Bryant’s gonna get it done – hurt or not hurt,” Mayweather added.
Interesting comparison
Oddly enough, Mayweather was once mentioned in the Kobe-LeBron discussion when analyst Chris Broussard compared the two basketball greats to two boxing legends. Apparently, Broussard was told by a unanimous NBA player that Bryant is more like Mike Tyson, while James is more like Floyd.
“One player who is an All-Star guard, who played against Kobe and LeBron, told me this,” Broussard said. “He said, ‘Look, it was like the difference between fighting Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. You know you’re going to lose to both because they’re both great, but it’s going to hurt more to fight Tyson than Floyd.’”
“Floyd will beat you, but he’s not going to hurt you. That’s the feeling with LeBron. I do think Chalmers is right. It’s not really a greatness thing. It’s just when a dude is going for your jugular against a dude that’s going to outplay you,” the All-Star guard told Chris.
Kobe was always viewed as more of a killer than LeBron, and that’s why the Tyson-Mayweather comparison made all the sense in the world. However, James would eventually enrich his legacy and win four rings, putting him above Bean for the majority of people, and inserted in the GOAT discussion with the one and only Michael Jordan
