It is Official: I hate Kobe less than LeBron.

[Celtics18]

I happen to agree with IP, the OP.  It's not personal.  It's just that I really, really don't like Lebron James.

[Witch-King]

I'll stick with hating Kobe more.  Both guys are arrogant jerks who think the world revolves around them.  However, Kobe is more hatred-worthy because:  1) he's a Laker, and 2) (more seriously) I think he probably forced himself on that girl in Colorado.

I don't want to debate the episode; I think he did it, and because of that, there's no way I can respect him.  Lebron is clueless and lets his hangers-on dictate too much of his life.  Kobe is an evil person.

I agree about Kobe and the girl episode,but i hate them equally as much.I disliked Lebron even before the Decision.I think i started to dislike him when i saw how self-centered he was when the Magic beat them in the 2009 playoffs.It was his right to walk off the court without acknowledging Howard for winning but before that happened  they had recently won a gold medal together.You'd think he could have waved to Howard even if he didn't want to talk at the time.After that day i started to notice other things about his character i didn't like.I never was big on guys entered the NBA straight out of HS...at least a few years of developing mentally as a person wouldn't hurt.Funny thing the most hated  are two guys who bypass the higher learning experience.

KG came out of high school too. It depends on the individual. Kobe and Lebron have been catered to their whole lives. Sure both were amazing prep stars but all NBA players were at some point. I mean Kobe took a pop star to his prom and Lebron's HS games were on Pay Per View. They were a little different than Amare and KG T-MAc, etc. Those guys weren't spotlighted coming out like the other two.

Anyways I agree with Roy because Kobe is a Laker, so it's not even close. Also he is more selfish in my opinion the Lebron. James is ignorant and immature but he is 25. I don't want to make excuses for him but the guy comes from nothing and then all of a sudden has everything. Yet, he has no guidance from a father. He has no one to teach him how to be a man, and it looks like a lot of leaches in his inner circle. He also seems to genuinely care about his teammates more than Bryant.

Both have made poor decisions because of legacy. James has to win six titles at least. He is battling the Jordan brand for control of Nike. Wojo has documented this - check his archive. James wasn't going to win in Cleveland like he was in Miami. No way he finishes his career in Miami either where Wade can always have one more ring. No way. His contract expires when he is 31 and by then he could have at least two rings. Same as Jordan did at 31.

As for Kobe. The selfishness he displayed in getting Shaq out of the picture so he could be number one was sickening. Yeah shaq had his moments but at the time do you think KG would have wanted Shaq to leave Minny so he could get Finals MVPs and all the credit? No way because Kg just wants to win. He would have reconciled with shaq and even deferred like he did with Pierce if it meant his chances of winning were greater. Winning wasn't good enough for Bryant. He needed more. He was never going back to LA if Shaq stayed. Not when he was casted as the Robin of their duo. Kobe disgusts me and I think he has no honor. The guy is almost 33 and he still had to remind everyone Im better than Oneal after the finals. It wasn't about the team but him beating Shaq. That's how I know he ran Shaq out. Buss, the lakers, and Jackson can say what they want but Kobe and his ego ended a dynasty. Jackson basically said so in his book but now they say things differently because the organization bows before Kobe. He is worse.

Actually, Jordan was 30 years old when he won his third NBA ring, so that would give LeBron 5 seasons, starting with this one in order for LeBron to try and equal the amount of rings Jordan had by age 30. Also, as you mentioned, Jordan went to college before entering the NBA draft so he actually won his first ring at an earlier stage in his career than LeBron. Also, Michael Jordan retired and left the game of basketball at age 30, then returned to the sport a season and a half later and immediately won 3 more rings. One can always make the argument that Jordan could have possibly won more than six NBA championships if he had chosen not to retire, either in 1993, or 1999, or both.

[misha]

I don't.

Still hate Kobe much, much more.

Same here. Even though my loathing of Lebron increased this summer, Kobe is still an undisputed champion.

[indeedproceed]

I don't want to debate the episode; I think he did it, and because of that, there's no way I can respect him.  Lebron is clueless and lets his hangers-on dictate too much of his life.  Kobe is an evil person.

A note on this..I feel the same way when I think about it rationally. I was talking to my gf about this (which since it was about basketball basically means I was talking out loud and she was nodding without listening). In my eyes, Kobe did it..he was like..OJ guilty, like Joran Vander Sloot guilty.

And the fact that I'm even starting a thread about how I irrationally dislike LeBron more speaks volumes, both for Kobe's rehabbed imaged, and my own short memory for these things. One is a credit to Kobe and his handlers, one is a ringing indictment of my crappy brain matter.

[Neurotic Guy]

I really don't know either of these guys.  I don't know for sure what Kobe did in Colorado. I don't know for sure that Lebron isn't a completely different guy when in private amongst friends.

My judgment based on something I do know -- I hate Lakers.  And Kobe is a Laker.

[housecall]

I'll stick with hating Kobe more.  Both guys are arrogant jerks who think the world revolves around them.  However, Kobe is more hatred-worthy because:  1) he's a Laker, and 2) (more seriously) I think he probably forced himself on that girl in Colorado.

I don't want to debate the episode; I think he did it, and because of that, there's no way I can respect him.  Lebron is clueless and lets his hangers-on dictate too much of his life.  Kobe is an evil person.

I agree about Kobe and the girl episode,but i hate them equally as much.I disliked Lebron even before the Decision.I think i started to dislike him when i saw how self-centered he was when the Magic beat them in the 2009 playoffs.It was his right to walk off the court without acknowledging Howard for winning but before that happened  they had recently won a gold medal together.You'd think he could have waved to Howard even if he didn't want to talk at the time.After that day i started to notice other things about his character i didn't like.I never was big on guys entered the NBA straight out of HS...at least a few years of developing mentally as a person wouldn't hurt.Funny thing the most hated  are two guys who bypass the higher learning experience.

KG came out of high school too. It depends on the individual. Kobe and Lebron have been catered to their whole lives. Sure both were amazing prep stars but all NBA players were at some point. I mean Kobe took a pop star to his prom and Lebron's HS games were on Pay Per View. They were a little different than Amare and KG T-MAc, etc. Those guys weren't spotlighted coming out like the other two.

Anyways I agree with Roy because Kobe is a Laker, so it's not even close. Also he is more selfish in my opinion the Lebron. James is ignorant and immature but he is 25. I don't want to make excuses for him but the guy comes from nothing and then all of a sudden has everything. Yet, he has no guidance from a father. He has no one to teach him how to be a man, and it looks like a lot of leaches in his inner circle. He also seems to genuinely care about his teammates more than Bryant.

Both have made poor decisions because of legacy. James has to win six titles at least. He is battling the Jordan brand for control of Nike. Wojo has documented this - check his archive. James wasn't going to win in Cleveland like he was in Miami. No way he finishes his career in Miami either where Wade can always have one more ring. No way. His contract expires when he is 31 and by then he could have at least two rings. Same as Jordan did at 31.

As for Kobe. The selfishness he displayed in getting Shaq out of the picture so he could be number one was sickening. Yeah shaq had his moments but at the time do you think KG would have wanted Shaq to leave Minny so he could get Finals MVPs and all the credit? No way because Kg just wants to win. He would have reconciled with shaq and even deferred like he did with Pierce if it meant his chances of winning were greater. Winning wasn't good enough for Bryant. He needed more. He was never going back to LA if Shaq stayed. Not when he was casted as the Robin of their duo. Kobe disgusts me and I think he has no honor. The guy is almost 33 and he still had to remind everyone Im better than Oneal after the finals. It wasn't about the team but him beating Shaq. That's how I know he ran Shaq out. Buss, the lakers, and Jackson can say what they want but Kobe and his ego ended a dynasty. Jackson basically said so in his book but now they say things differently because the organization bows before Kobe. He is worse.

I know KG,Amare,T-Mac,Moses Malone,K.Brown,D.Howard,and many others that have made it in the NBA.But when most of those guys have been asked if they could do it all over again,90%of them have said in interviews they wish they had chosen college first.It doesn't mean their  NBA careers will end up good or bad by not going to college, the overall development of the person it helps and that can be a plus in there dealings in the adult world of the NBA.

[GreenEnvy]

I "hate" them both equally, for different reasons.

I think Fox should offer them money for a prime-time one-on-one game. Put their pride and egos on the line. Fox has Olympic sprinters race zebras/giraffes and D-list celebrities box, so this may be too sensible for them.

Do it in the offseason, and these guys play pickup games all summer, so there is no real additional risk of injury per se.

I personally think LeBron would win. Kobe can't blow by LeBron anymore, and LeBron is big enough to bother Kobe's jumpers. Most misses would go to LeBron, and he could use his size and strength advantage easily.

[pearljammer10]

Im thinking I now agree with this statement as well. At least you have to respect Kobe for his ability to win, show up in the clutch, his killer instincts, and his rings to prove it. LeBron is just a cocky piece of nothing.

[Bankshot]

Kobe has toned down his act in recent years.  I find myself tolerating him a lot more of late.  Lebron's act has gotten out of control.  As of now, looking at Lebron makes me more sick to my stomach than looking at Kobe.  A couple years ago, I would have thought this to be impossible.

This is how I feel too.

[JSD]

Yeah OP, same here. over the years my hate for Kobe has turned to a respectful strong dislike.

[TerreHaute]

Still dislike Kobe more. It seems that LeBron could actually be a decent guy at times without faking it, having an alterior motive, or trying to make himself look good. I don't think Kobe could do any of those things. Kobe just reminds me of the Amhad Rashad/Jordan interviews where you knew they were just making him look good. Only Kobe needs that act 24/7. I just can see it being fun to be around Kobe in any way.

[indeedproceed]

Still dislike Kobe more. It seems that LeBron could actually be a decent guy at times without faking it, having an alterior motive, or trying to make himself look good. I don't think Kobe could do any of those things. Kobe just reminds me of the Amhad Rashad/Jordan interviews where you knew they were just making him look good. Only Kobe needs that act 24/7. I just can't see it being fun to be around Kobe in any way.

I think in some ways the part in bold is 100% true. Call it a conspiracy theory, call it a gut feeling, whatever, but I firmly believe Kobe has had extensive coaching in how to handle any and all types of interview situations.

But, if you've seen a LeBron James interview, you know he's been coached on the same things since 3rd grade. I feel like in highschool english the teacher was like:

"Okay class, now I want you guys to read pages 33 to 47 of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Except LeBron..LeBron, how do you answer the question 'You had a 50 point triple double tonight and your team won by three points. Did you feel at times that you were just doing it alone out there?'.....No! You don't say 'Yeah.', you say 'We're a team, without those guys I'm just some jerk with a basketball and a headband.' Repeat!"

EDIT: I corrected the word 'can' for 'can't', because I think that's what you meant.

[TerreHaute]

Let me also add that every interaction Kobe has with anyone feels like they are contriving something or Kobe has control of the other person's behavior. Never had that feeling with LeBron.

[Assassin70]

Seriously...

How can anyone hate this?



More then this?






This is Celtics blog right?  Kobe IS "Mr. Laker" AKA Public enemy no 1!

I am guessing we just found out which Celtic fans attended this game!

Ugh I am ashamed  . I look like that Lebron picture right now.