VS.

I’m tired of hearing about Lebron. From his recent trip to Hollywood to his new talent management agency, people just can’t stop talking about this guy. Don’t get me wrong — Lebron is an excellent player and a supreme talent, easily one of the top five players in the league. It’s just that Lebron really hasn’t achieved enough to deserve all the hype. In fact, I’d argue Kobe deserves twice the attention that Lebron gets. Here’s why:

1. Kobe is a MUCH better scorer. — If Kobe’s 81 point game isn’t enough for you, consider the following: Mamba averaged 31.6 points per game last year during the regular season, playing an average of 41 minutes. Lebron scored 26.9 pts in about the same amount of time. Kobe is also a better shooter, hitting 34.5% from behind the arc and 87% at the line. Compare that to Lebron’s 3pt shooting at 31.2% and his terrible 70% free throw shooting.

2. Kobe is more reliable in the clutch. — Who would you rather have taking the last shot? Remember all the grief Lebron got about passing the ball to Donyell Marshall in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals? You can bet your #&$ that Kobe would have taken the shot himself. And made it.

3. Kobe plays against much tougher competition. — The Cavs got a dose of reality when they got swept by the Spurs in the NBA championship. The fact is the Eastern Conference is much weaker than the Western Conference, and Kobe plays tougher opponents night in and night out than Lebron does. Not only is Kobe in a tougher conference, but he also has to deal with the best defenders in the league in Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, and Raja Bell. Lebron’s toughest defender is Eric Snow at practice.

4. Kobe works harder during the off season. — Remember what they used to say about James Brown? “The hardest working man in show business.” That’s the deal with Kobe. Since he spent his first NBA season on the bench, Kobe has constantly improved his game. Just this week, Kobe was in the gym after hours working on his game. Kobe doesn’t just work harder than Lebron, he works harder than anyone.

5. Kobe is a proven champion. — Say what you will about Kobe’s 3 championship rings, but the bottom line is Kobe has 3 and Lebron has none.

6. Kobe is a better defender. — Kobe can play lock-down defense that rivals anyone in the league. Lebron’s idea of defense is making sure to stay out the way so he doesn’t get posterized. Kobe’s been on 6 NBA All-Defensive teams. Lebron? Not so much.

7. Kobe is a more complete player. — Lebron’s game is full of holes — poor jump shot, poor free throw shooting, poor defense. Kobe is as close to perfect as a human (maybe superhuman) can be. There isn’t one thing that happens on a basketball court that Kobe can’t do to perfection. Don’t believe it? Check out what hall of fame’r Rick Barry had to say about Lebron’s game.

What do you think? Is Kobe twice the player that Lebron is?