Millions of basketball fans across the world ponder one common question. They argue furiously about who is the best player in the National Basketball Association, and they have narrowed it down to two players. These dominating athletes go by the names of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. They each possess their own unique skill set and abilities on the floor, but only one can be crowned the king of the court. Examining their fitness levels, skill sets, and weaknesses will allow one to decide who deserves to be called the best basketball player in the world.

Mr. James is an incredible physical specimen! Standing at six feet and eight inches tall and weighing in at two-hundred-fifty pounds of pure muscle, LeBron James intimidates his opponents every time he plays the game of basketball. Through hours of training and a high school career in which he thrived as a varsity basketball and football player James developed an absurd amount of quickness and marvelous leaping ability for a man his size. He also took it upon himself to lift harder than all of his peers in Saint Vincent-Saint Mary’s High School in Akron, Ohio which ultimately led to NBA scouts drooling over the prospect of adding him to their team through the draft (even though he was barely eighteen years old at the time).

Kobe Bryant views himself as the ultimate competitor. He prides himself on being the absolute best athlete he can be. Like LeBron, Kobe began his career in the NBA as soon as he graduated from high school. Bryant stands at six feet and six inches and weighs two-hundred-five pounds, and he is such a naturally gifted athlete that many scouts originally predicted that he would one day fill the role of perennial allstar and Mr. Basketball, Michael Jordan. Unfortunately for Kobe his God-given talent and athleticism would only carry him so far in his first couple of seasons in the NBA. He quickly learned that he needed to push himself to improve his body in the same way that he was already tirelessly working on his game. This breakthrough led to Mr. Bryant watching what he ate, upping his vertical, augmenting his speed and quickness, and toning his upper-body in the weight room. The results have been phenomenal and advanced his game to a whole new level on the basketball court.

When attempting to describe the abilities of LeBron James one could point to a handful of attributes. Undeniably the most well-rounded player in the world LeBron can shoot (when he is feeling it), drive, pass, dribble, and rebound perhaps better than anyone else in the world. James is capable of pulling up and draining his trademark jumper out to thirty-five feet from the hoop; however, perhaps his kryptonite is his inability to consistently make his free throws (he only shoots seventy one percent from the stripe) and trouble with shooting a high percentage from the three-point line (thirty-two percent). These slight deficiencies are greatly overshadowed by his ferocity in driving to the hoop and finishing at the rim whenever he puts his mind to it. He also handles the ball like a star point guard (the primary dribbler on the basketball team) easily breaking down the defense and throwing laser-like passes to his teammates for uncontested shots. LeBron is also famous for guarding the opposition’s best player and holding him in check all throughout the game and during crunch time.

Although James receives much recognition as the best all-around player in the NBA Kobe Bryant is undoubtedly the most prolific scorer the game has seen in this decade. He terrorizes every other team’s best defenders every time he plays. Opposing coaches know there is no way they can stop him; they merely hope to contain him (which is also impossible). With a deadly stroke from nearly everywhere on the court Kobe attacks his victims nonstop. Whether he is fading away, pulling up for three, gliding into the lane for a picturesque finger role, or exploding for a rim-rattling dunk the result is always the same. The ball is dropping through the net and the stat boy is penciling in another field goal on the stat sheet for Mr. Bryant. His greatest weakness is that, at times, he is too selfish and doesn’t spread the wealth with his teammates.

Bryant also pushes himself on the defensive end; he guards the opponent’s best perimeter player for most of the game. Kobe is capable of putting the clamps on an All Star on one side of the floor and shattering scoring records on the other. His inner drive to be the best is so palpable that many players and coaches have openly endorsed Bryant as the preeminent player in the National Basketball Association. If it were not for his bad reputation as a possible rapist(he was acquitted), a fan hater, and a terrible teammate, Kobe would likely be considered the greatest player since Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, bad press, bad decisions, and a lack of effort to change his perception with the fans (if he showed effort in this area that is comparable to what he displays on the court, he would most definitely succeed in this endeavor) have led to a lack of appreciation for his achievements and contributions to the game of basketball.

In conclusion the two most dynamic players in the Association each offer their own style and flare to the game. Whether it is LeBron James powering down the lane and dunking over three men or Kobe Bryant pulling up over a double team to hit a game winning three pointer at the buzzer, one thing is for certain. They are both unbelievably talented athletes. After dissecting their fitness levels, skill sets, and weaknesses one ought to come to the following conclusion. Kobe Bryant deserves to be named the best player in the world because of his uncanny ability to thrive on the offensive end and on defense each time he sets foot on the hardwood.