What if LeBron and Kobe Played Together?

If LeBron James and Kobe Bryant played on the same team, how many championships could the two win together? Today we're going to find out as we're taking rookie Kobe and sending him to the 2004 season to pair up with rookie LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers. And as a result, your battle witness NBA history as you know it, changed dramatically. Because in their first season together, the two would prove to be a perfect fit for each other's games. As LeBron's elite passing would set the table for Kobe to score bucket after bucket. But while the two are really good and seem to be future champions, there's one major question that has to be answered. Who's actually better? Well, in order to find the answer, we're going to be counting up both Kobe and LeBron's MVP awards and finals MVP awards in order to make that decision at the very end. And while we're on the topic, the very end just so happens to be the modern day where both players will fittingly close it out as members of the Los Angeles Lakers. But that's a really long time from now. Let's just keep our focus on Kobe and LeBron's second season together and let's see if they can actually get something done. Starting off with LeBron, who's averaging a solid 18 points per game and a more than solid eight assists per game. Already putting him close to the top of the league with the main person benefiting from that being none other than Kobe Bryant, who's already averaging 23 points night in and night out. And as a result, the Cavs would finish with 49 wins as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The only thing missing for the two would be an MVP award as it's heading out to Minnesota instead, but one of the two can still walk away with some hardware if they manage to bring Cleveland the title. So with all that being said, the two would start their first playoff run by defeating Miami, Orlando, and Detroit, three teams who in real life would have given the Cavs serious issues. But in this universe with the two together, they would get it done and move on to the finals against the Houston Rockets, without a doubt being their toughest opponent to date. LeBron and Kobe are up against TMAC and Yao Ming. Kind of an awkward matchup, we'll see if they can get it done. And to keep it short, that's exactly what they did, as they would take care of them in six games, closing it out in front of the Cleveland Faithful to bring a title to the city after only two seasons of LeBron and Kobe as teammates. While the two are celebrating, it now brings up a very important question. Who's the finals MVP? Because LeBron averaged 19 points in eight assists for the finals, along with seven boards, which is a more than respectable stat line. But Kobe was far and away the go-to option, as he would bump up his scoring to 27 per game. Each are deserving of the award, but only one's walking away with a trophy. And in most cases, it usually goes to the top scorer of the team, which makes it even more surprising that LeBron would be the one, receiving the trophy from David Stern, resulting in him striking first in our race to find out who's the better player. So with that, we're now moving on to season number three of LeBron and Kobe's 21-year journey, giving them plenty of time to rack up the awards. But for now, let's keep our focus on the two as they try to repeat as champion, starting with Kobe leading the way as the go-to scorer with 28 points per game. LeBron struck first, but don't count him out just yet. And of course, we can't forget about LeBron, fresh off his finals MVP, who's good for plenty of highlights of his own. Ultimately leading to the Cavs narrowly finishing as the three seed in the East. And while none of them are bringing home the MVP with it going to Shaq in Miami instead, the two have set themselves up to defend their title in the post-season. And while in the future, the Eastern Conference will see another super team come to form at this very moment, it's completely ran by LBJ and Kobe, who are making it to finals number two in only season three, now being up against the even tougher opponent than last season, the San Antonio Spurs. And that would definitely show as while last year was a relatively easy victory for the Cavs, the Spurs led by Tim Duncan will put up a much better fight as they would go bucket for bucket with LeBron and Kobe, tying the series at three apiece, now heading back to Cleveland for one last series defining game. LeBron and Kobe second finals, but their first game seven, and they're up against a team with like five, seven, eight, nine, 10 Hall of Famers. And those Hall of Famers would put in work in game seven, especially Tim Duncan, who's one of the few players who can get close to the level of both Kobe and LeBron. And without a doubt, it's the most important game the two have played to date. But in the end, those two would have the ultimate advantage as they would be playing in front of their hometown fans, taking the lead and eventually winning their second title. And as far as the finals MVP goes, it would once again be going to LeBron, now giving him two in only their third season, which ultimately means that it's not really looking too good for Kobe right now. And in case you didn't know, there's only a few more seasons until both LeBron and Kobe leave Cleveland in favor for another team in a much warmer city. But to focus back on the 2007 season, while LeBron would average 20 points and 10 assists, it would be Kobe stealing the show, averaging 30, leading the entire league in scoring. But while the two are really good, they might be too good, as their stat lines might be eating into each other's MVP chances as it's heading down to one of their future teammates. We're already in season four. Nobody's even sniffed it. So once again, the two can only bring home the finals MVP if they can successfully three-peat. And as far as that goes, they would get off to a good start as the first two rounds were no issue. But what was a challenge would be the conference finals up against the Miami Heat, featuring the MVP D-Wade. And eventually, while it would be a hard fought battle and the Cavs would come out on top, you have to wonder what would happen if three players that good actually joined forces. Before we find out the answer to that, that means that the Cavs are heading to their third straight finals up against the Los Angeles Clippers, featuring Chris Kamen and his terrible haircut. Which would wind up being an easy victory for the Cavs, winning in five games to make history and officially complete the three-peat. And while the two are both worthy of bringing home the finals MVP, it would finally be going to Kobe, who's getting on the board, adding the first trophy to his case, now making the race two to one, ultimately bringing him closer to LeBron. Don't count Kobe out just yet, you would be very dumb to do so. So now with three straight titles under their belt, you have to wonder if the two can win four in a row. It hasn't been done since the 60s with the Bill Russell-led Celtics, but both LeBron and Kobe, who's now sporting a new cut, definitely have a shot to do so. But at this point, unsurprisingly, while the two are dominating yet again, leading the Cavs to a 65-win season, the MVP's heading back to Miami and falling in the hands of their future teammate once again. It's safe to say both, at this point, are destroying each other's chances at the award. But at the same time, though, if it's going to be so rare, it might make it more valuable in the end. Either way, to keep the playoffs short, the two would find themselves back in the finals, this time heading to Phoenix to challenge someone who won multiple MVPs in our universe, that being Steve Nash. And while he's extremely good and surrounded by other great players who definitely have normal shooting forms, it wouldn't be enough. LeBron and Kobe are way too good at this point, especially Kobe, who's averaging 36 in the finals, which ultimately is enough to overshadow LeBron and win yet another finals MVP to tie him up. Right back in this race, we now have a two-to-two tie. And while the two have rattled off a historic four straight titles, what if I told you it might get even better? Because in the next few seasons, both LeBron and Kobe will be forming possibly the best team ever out in Miami, along with D-Wade and Chris Bosh. And once that era's over, they'll be heading back to Cleveland to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. And of course, they'll be rounding it out in Los Angeles with Anthony Davis to close out their careers. If they're this accomplished by themselves, who knows how many championships they'll end with after playing with all of those stars. But for now, they'd find themselves in some serious trouble. As the Boston Celtics have assembled three Hall of Famers to create a super team specifically designed to stop them. As they would meet up in the playoffs and eventually go up three to one over the Cavs. And the five-peat might be cooked. And unfortunately, the series would be a quick one as it's ending right then and there as they would demolish the duo in Cleveland no less. Setting up the two to be eliminated for the first time in half a decade. Kobe driving to the basket, Kobe with the slam to cut the lead down to 17. And of course, there's no time left to make that comeback. So with that, their momentum has come to a screeching halt, now being eliminated in the second round after previously winning four straight titles. It's a disappointing ending for the two, especially considering the fact that the 2010 season would be the last of the two as members of the Cavs for the foreseeable future. The only silver lining is that we're finally going to see someone win the MVP, that being LeBron James, who's reclaiming some of the momentum after Kobe stole the show earlier. It took him seven seasons, which is a really long time, but he's the first person between him and Kobe to win the MVP. But in the end, it would be for nothing. As for a second time, the two are struggling to take down the Boston Big Three, because while they would take it to seven games, they'd wind up losing again. While the two have achieved a lot in only seven seasons together, including a four-peat earlier, right now the two are departing at the hands of the Celtics, similar to real life. With that being said, though, while the two have been defeated by a super team, it's not just LeBron making the decision to leave the Cavs, but also Kobe, as the two are taking their talents to South Beach to pair up with two more Hall of Famers and D-Wade and Chris Bosh. And while one day there might be a team that can surpass the level of talent on this one, for now it's without a doubt, the greatest team the league has ever seen. As already in their first season together, the four stars are winning 70 games. Really the only downside is that amongst the four stars, the stats are too spread out. LeBron's down to 20 points per game and Kobe's down to 26, which pretty much kills their MVP chances. So while to this point NBA history looks completely different from what we know it as, the 2011 MVP would be a repeat of real life as it's landing in the hands of Derrick Rose out in Chicago. But at the end of the day, I'm not sure that LeBron or Kobe really care, as ultimately they would make it back to the finals, this time heading down to New Orleans with their star being just Chris Paul. And while he's an MVP caliber player himself, there's just way too much firepower on the other side. The four stars on Miami have immediately built chemistry and as a result, they're walking away with the title. The only question is, between LeBron or Kobe, who's winning the first finals MVP on the new squad? Well, it turns out it would be Kobe, who's the leading scorer of the team, now winning his third straight finals MVP, taking the lead away from LeBron, giving the two five collective titles already. Eight seasons in too, so that's, they're making extremely good pace. And that really good pace seems like it'll continue for a while, as while last year was really good, the 2012 season might be even better. As Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the reigning finals MVP Kobe Bryant will hit yet another level, jumping from 70 wins the season before, all the way up to 73, setting a new league record. But again, while the two stars are doing their thing, the MVP is going elsewhere, meaning that yet again, the two will have to go all the way with a title to add to their trophy cases. However, to this point, while they've seemed untouchable, they would be in for a rude awakening in the second round, as the New York Knicks of all teams would be giving the Miami Big Four some serious issues, led by Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin, who's still in second and fourth. Shockingly enough, the series is going to game seven, despite Miami being the massive favorite. And if LeBron, Kobe and the rest of the Heat walk away empty handed, losing to a franchise notoriously known for usually being terrible, it'll sting even more. So with all that being said, a very unlikely game seven would tip off, with the only silver lining being that it's played in Miami. And while it would remain close the entire time, eventually only one can come out on top, as Melo and Jeremy Lin are putting up a serious fight to where it's only a one point lead for Miami with only 40 seconds left. The Heat do have the ball and the lead here, but it's far from over. And it's only fitting, considering we're trying to find out who's better, that both LeBron and Kobe's clutch will be put to the test. Here we go. Who's gonna seal it? D-Wade to the basket, D-Wade doing absolutely nothing with it, the pass over to Kobe. Here we go, eight seconds over to LeBron in the corner. Running out of breath, he missed a shot. New York still with a chance, JR with the ball. JR throws it forward, spin move on Kobe, driving. Kobe forces him to pick up the ball. Carmelo to the basket, Carmelo wild layup. It's off, it's off, it's off, it's off. And now with only 21 seconds left, it wouldn't be either of those two players heading to the line with a chance to seal the game. Instead it's D-Wade, one of Miami's most beloved players and someone we saw win multiple MVPs earlier. But as far as free throws go, he might not be the best choice as he's about to shoot two with the game on the line. Oh my God, all right, here we go, here we go. We're about to watch, somebody's about to hit a game winner on New York. Here we go, D-Wade second free throw, it's good. And now we only have a two point lead with 21 left. Game seven, 21 seconds left. It's coming down to the final possession, Melo with the ball. Melo driving to the basket on LeBron, the pass down. Oh my God, Chris Bosh fell asleep, here we go. No timeouts left for the Heat, Kobe with the ball. Game seven, tie game. The series and the season is in the hands of Kobe or maybe even LeBron, but probably Kobe because he's not passing it. Here we go, five seconds left. Kobe with the spin, Kobe with the step back pump fake. Oh my God, Kobe with the shot. And with that the Miami Heat are moving on to the next round. As Kobe was able to successfully take matters into his own hands to win the game, capping off one of the best game seven performances in NBA history. Oh my God, bro, I didn't even realize this, but the simulation, bro, Kobe had 57. Despite a slow start, it seems like Kobe has seized both the Cavs and Heat from LeBron. And if the competition ended right now, we could easily crown him as the better player. It's extremely impressive considering LeBron won the first two finals MVPs earlier, but Kobe's come all the way back. It would have been extremely crazy to count him out earlier, and also equally as crazy to count LeBron out now. While Kobe just had his moment and won the last three finals MVPs, it would be LeBron taking charge in the finals against OKC, leading them to title number six and his third finals MVP to tie him up with Kobe. It's been a while, LeBron, but he's raising up the trophy, doing the same pose we've seen from every other trophy ceremony. Shout out to 2K. And that momentum that he seized back from Kobe would continue into the following 2013 season, as the Heat would find themselves back in the finals trying to three-peat. And while the Memphis Grizzlies are a really good team, to keep it short, it would be a relatively easy victory for the Heat. At this point, they're taking over the entire league, and the one leading the way would be LeBron, who's winning finals MVP number four, quickly turning the tide back in his favor with the two now at a collective seven titles. At this point, who knows how many they're gonna win by the time we hit the modern day. And with the two now three-peating for a second time, let's see if they can bring home a fourth consecutive title in the duo's final season with the Miami Heat. There's a young star waiting for their arrival in Cleveland, along with another in Minnesota, who'll make his way over there as well. But to keep the focus back on our two MVP caliber players, none of them would be winning the award. So while their time in Miami was extremely successful, it's not really the best situation for them to win that specific award. But what it is ideal for would be the playoffs, since at this point, they're almost guaranteed to make it to the finals. And while they're up against OKC, featuring Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, they're pretty much guaranteed to win. Both stars have gone back and forth throughout these last few years, and their competition is far from finished. But with LeBron taking the last two finals MVPs, there's no way Kobe will let him win a third, as he's upping his scoring once again to bring home the award, meaning that as the two depart Miami, we have a four to four tie. He averaged 30 points per game in the finals, and he also did a bunch of other stuff. He's shooting 60%. He is insane. And with that, the two would be saying goodbye to Miami and making their long-awaited return back to the land, donning the wine and gold unis once again. Main difference though would be their new homegrown star, Kyrie Irving, who of course is good for electrifying play after electrifying play, as well as the elite shooting and rebounding of Kevin Love. But there are some key differences between the two and a player like D-Wade, for example, that'll definitely influence LeBron and Kobe's competition, mainly due to the fact that both are much younger and haven't won anything yet. As we saw earlier, D-Wade's a former MVP, but in comparison, Kyrie and Love are completely unproven, which gives the two vets more leeway as far as controlling the offense, especially Kobe, who's moving up from the mid-20s in scoring to average a career-high 33 per game to finally win his first regular season MVP after over a decade in the league. He is shooting almost 60% from the field for an entire season, probably the greatest score of all time at this point. And after two combined MVPs and eight titles in their 12 seasons, you've gotta think that another trophy is on the way for the two. But if you thought it was going to be that simple, you'd be completely wrong, as they would run into a budding super team in the bay for the finals, of course, led by the shooting of Steph Curry, which would be enough to cut their run short, as he would rattle off not one, not two, not three, but four straight games to shockingly end LeBron and Kobe's historic run. Does that mean Steph's the GOAT? Is he better than the both of them? And for the 2016 season, while the Warriors would continue where they left off in the finals, dominating the regular season, the Cavs would struggle again come playoff time. While the Miami team earlier built chemistry right away and were ready to win championships right away, it seems like the weird mix between the veteran Kobe and LeBron and the young Kevin Love and Kyrie might be working against them. As they're running into the Joel and B-Bud Sixers who would force the series to seven games, I think you know where I'm going with this one, because the Cavs are being sent home. Billy does something in every single video. And with the Warriors going all the way to win the title for a second straight time, and not stopping there by adding Kevin Durant in the off season, completing possibly the greatest team the sport has ever seen, you gotta wonder, can LeBron and Kobe bounce back? Because for the first time, the two are officially underdogs. It's unfamiliar territory for the two. Usually they'd be penciled in as the favorites, but now that's just not the case. Because while they take care of the regular season with 65 wins to make it back to the finals, if they couldn't beat the Warriors without KD, how can anyone expect them to take them down now? The Golden State Warriors will hold on and knock off the Cleveland- But when you have the Black Mamba and King James on the same squad, you have a chance. As they take not one, not two, not three, but four straight games to sweep the Warriors. And while KD at first seemed like a massive upgrade for the team, in a shocking turn of events, he might've made them worse. Because in the end, he couldn't guard LeBron, who would average 23-9-10, winning the finals MVP in front of his hometown fans, now being his fifth. NBA history has been changed. Cleveland, this is for you. He's averaging almost a triple-double. And with that, we're now entering the final season for the duo in Cleveland on a high note. And this time they're leaving for real, because after this, they're heading out West to LA to close it out. I would be lying though, if I said that this season would get off to a hot start, as Kyrie would be leaving the team in favor of the Celtics in order to try to lead his own squad. So as a result, there's plenty of new faces on the Cavs, which in real life led to a finals loss for them and LeBron. But now with Kobe on his side and still in his prime as well, there's a chance history could change again, as he's averaging 29-6-6, to go with LeBron's 24-9-9. Helping the Cavs win 61 games, helping the Cavs storm through the East in the playoffs, and helping the Cavs destroy the Warriors yet again. The first two years in their return to Cleveland were rough. They couldn't get over the hump. They were losing to Philly. They lost to Golden State. But now in the final two, ironically, since KD joined the Warriors, they were able to turn the tide, as the two are now seconds away from championship number 10. And it seems like the Warriors super team aren't really going to be that much of a super team, because LeBron and Kobe have taken them down twice. And in the end, it would be LeBron winning finals MVP number six. The two haven't won many of the regular season award, but they're getting it done when it matters the most. And with that, they're now officially leaving Cleveland on a high note. I don't know how many championships they won here, but it's a lot. And to answer that question, six of their 10 titles are with them as members of the Cavs. But that era is now over as they're heading to LA to close out their time in the league as members of the Lakers. But in the words of Kobe, the job's not finished. Because the Laker team that they're joining is way behind the Miami and even the Cleveland teams they've just been on. Because to put it bluntly, at the moment, the roster's kind of a meme team. So while the Lakers would make the playoffs, it wouldn't last that long. So we're now moving on to the 2020 season where the team's finally starting to take form. It all starts with the acquisition of Anthony Davis, who at times looks like he can be an MVP. But as the third best player on the team, he's free to play without pressure. And as a result, he perfectly complements both LeBron and Kobe's games. And while in real life, LeBron led the league in assists, he'd do the same here with 11 per game to go along with 24 points. While Kobe's finishing decimal points away from 30 per game. But once again, as a result, with two players this good on the same team, it's really difficult to win the MVPs. Considering a player like Russell Westbrook is now in his prime averaging a triple-double. So while LeBron and Kobe's sat lines are good, they're still tied at one apiece for the regular season award. I have a bad feeling about this one. I think it might come down to what they do in the finals. That would surely prove to be a solid prediction as the 2020 finals would be taking place in Orlando just as it did in real life. Only this time it's the actual Orlando Magic team and not the bubble. And while I mean no disrespect to Evan Fournier and Terence Ross, to put it nicely, they can't really hang with the duo of LeBron and Kobe as well as AV. And while I'd like to have this be a super close series that would go down to the wire, this finals was far from that as it wouldn't last long as the Lakers are winning with Kobe and LeBron tying up Bill Russell with title number 11. But what will be a super close series is the finals MVP race as Kobe, who's bumping his scoring up yet again on crazy efficiency, is now back to winning the finals MVP. Now at five compared to LeBron's six. It's been a while since we've seen him raise the trophy, Miami to be specific, but he's making it close with only a few more seasons to go. And he almost shot 70%. That is probably the best five game stretch ever. And that would be the official start of LeBron and Kobe's potential final dynasty with only four years left to go. And while the two are definitely getting old with thousands of games played between the two, it wouldn't stop them in their pursuit of championship number 12 as they're once again making it back to the finals, this time against Miami, to not only challenge their former team but also take care of them easily. Sending Jimmy Butler into his emo phase, ending off with LeBron bouncing back by winning the finals MVP, now making it number seven. But you would once again be out of line to count Kobe out because the 2022 season would now be in his favor as former MVP Russell Westbrook would be joining the team. And while he's got some flaws as a player and isn't really a perfect fit for the team, the one thing that you can definitely count on him for is to elevate elite scoring talent to another level with his passing, which directly helps out Kobe the most. And while it didn't result in him winning a regular season MVP with it eventually going to Giannis instead, the two are returning to yet another finals this time against Brooklyn. Kobe now leading the way this time to win championship number 13 and his sixth finals MVP. And his takeover is not ending there as something about playing in LA for one of the league's most prestigious franchises makes it a perfect fit for him in his game because the 2023 season would see him stand alone as the greatest scorer the league has ever seen. It's a shot in history. And on top of that, he would lead the Lakers back to the finals again, this time against Philly, a team that eliminated both he and LeBron back when they were both in Cleveland. But years later, the duo would get their revenge on Kobe's hometown team. And it's only fitting considering the fact that he broke the scoring record earlier that he would be the one to lead the Lakers to the championship and ultimately tie up LeBron seven to seven with only one season left. The duo's 21-year journey is now coming to its conclusion. And not only are we one step closer to finding out who's better, but we're also one step closer to finding out who's the greatest of all time. Can the Mamba mentality bring Kobe a three-peat on finals MVPs to walk away with a comeback win? Or will King James take over as he's done before to secure the crown? One of those questions is about to be answered in the 2024 season. Place your bets now on who's going to win because it's starting off with LeBron averaging 24-7-8, while Kobe's averaging 29-6-5. Two MVP caliber stat lines that are yet again falling short. As the MVP is going to Jokic who's averaging a triple-double, locking us into a one-to-one tie on the regular season MVP. It's really strange that the both of them have only combined for two this entire time, but it ultimately means that if one of them can bring home one last finals MVP, it'll be the most valuable of all. So after finishing as a two-seed and breezing past the first three rounds, the two are now back in the finals for a classic showdown with the Boston Celtics who have added two former all-stars to their squad along with Jalen Brown and of course, Jason Tatum, which explains why the series would be the most difficult one that LeBron and Kobe have played for a while as it would eventually be heading to game seven. The two are now at risk of losing for the first time in a while, but before we find out what happens next, we have to go back in time almost two decades to LeBron and Kobe's third season where the two had to play a game seven at home against the San Antonio Spurs, eventually ending with their second championship. I mention this to say that the situation they're currently in now is extremely familiar as both games were played at home led by a dominant showing from both stars, now giving LeBron and Kobe 15 in total. Both have come an extremely long way from the two unproven rookies we saw in the Cavs and throughout the last two decades, we've seen highlight after highlight as they've made their way from team to team. But in the end, only one can break the tie by winning the finals MVP. And after 21 years and 15 titles, the one walking away with the award to come out on top just so happens to be completely up to you.