Former NBA guard Speedy Claxton recently shared a little about his experience playing against Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the NBA, and he explained why he has Bryant over James all time.
“I played against a young LeBron,” Claxton said. “He was a new buck in the league.”
Claxton last played in the NBA in the 2008-09 season, so he didn’t get to face James during the prime of his career when he went to eight straight NBA Finals. However, he explained why Bryant was “different” in his eyes.
“Kob, man, Kob was different,” Claxton said. “Kob was different. So, I’m gonna go with Kob because Kob just had that hunger. Kob had that dog in him. And that’s the one thing that LeBron lacks. He doesn’t have that dog in him.”
He continued.
“Top five definitely, but I’m not gonna put him over Kobe,” Claxton said of James. “Kobe, he wants that moment. He wants the ball. Bron wants the ball, but Bron – and Bron is a great player – but Bron is gonna make the right play.”
Claxton was then asked if it’s wrong that James aims to make the right play.
“It’s not, but sometimes the right play is like, ‘Nah, go get me a bucket.'”
Bryant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, and he won five titles during his time with the Lakers, capturing two NBA Finals MVP awards. James, a four-time champion, has been to the NBA Finals 10 times and won Finals MVP honors in all of his successful title runs.
During his playing career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc. He will forever be one of the most important figures in Lakers history, and he’s certainly revered by other players like Claxton.
It’s possible that James will get the same respect once he retires, but the 41-year-old is still going strong after 23 seasons. James made an All-Star team in the 2025-26 season, and he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3 as the oldest player in the NBA.
Claxton is certainly entitled to his opinion – after all, he did play against both stars – but James has shown plenty of times in his career that he has the ability to take over a game with his scoring.
Ultimately, Lakers fans are lucky that two of the greatest players in NBA history both ended up suiting up for Los Angeles and were able to win titles for the city.
