Before and after the Christmas Day game, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James embraced each other. While most fans want them to be rivals, there is mutual respect and James was actually one of the first NBA players to wish Bryant a speedy recovery following the latest injury.
After the Miami Heat came out with a narrow victory, James said he has “much respect” for the five-time champion and spoke about people suggesting that Bryant should sit out the rest of the season via ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne:
LeBron on Kobe: "I been hearing people giving their stupid opinion on what he should do. He’s not going to sit. That’s not him."
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) December 26, 2013
Despite this latest setback, LeBron is confident that Bryant will return at a high level and still average 20 points a game if he wants to:
LeBron on Kobe: "He’s going to get healthy & he’s going to play the game he loves. When he gets back, he’s going to play at a high level"
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) December 26, 2013
Although the media has tried to manufacture a rivalry between two of the best players in the league, it has never been a true one since they have never met in the NBA Finals. Instead, there is mutual respect that stems from playing together on the Olympic teams where they won Gold in Beijing and London.
While there will always be conversations on who the better player is, it’s nice to hear LeBron show his support for a player that paved the way for him to enter the NBA straight out of high school. Although James is clearly the best player in the league now, he has to admire what Kobe has done throughout his entire 18-year career.
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Kobe Bryant Speaks To The Media For The First Time Since His Knee Injury
