You grew up a Laker fan and you'd still pick KneeMac? I'm surprised this is even a conversation.
Absolutely. Offensively, T-Mac was as good of a shooter as Kobe was, but with arguably better range. With his greater length and athleticism, T-Mac could penetrate defenses easier, finish around the rim better, and draw fouls like no other. T-Mac was less selfish, had greater court vision, and was able to make his teammates better. Defensively, Kobe did better with the tools he had, but T-Mac's greater size and length meant that he could defend more positions effectively, and his post defense was seriously underrated. It's not to mention T-Mac was simply flat out more fun to watch.
It's true that Kobe had better work ethic and a much bigger desire to win, but the fact that T-Mac is comparable despite putting significantly less effort into working on his body and his game speaks volumes about the level of raw talent he had.