In the summer of 2007, Kobe Bryant was coming off a season in which he averaged 32 points on a routine 46 percent shooting from the floor. Already a three-time NBA champion, Bryant would add an elusive MVP award to his resume in the following 2007-08 season.
Kobe Bryant
While Bryant’s numbers in 2008 stood among the best the league had ever seen, his agitation with the Los Angeles Lakers grew to boiling point. Since the departure of Shaquille O’Neal three summers earlier, the Lakers were a shell of their dynastic counterparts from the early 2000s.
Despite having two years left on his contract, the Kobe-trade-fever grew to a large scale as many were convinced that Bryant’s exit from Hollywood was inevitable.
LeBron James
On the other end of the spectrum was a 22-year-old LeBron James. With a roster — one could argue — as limited as what Bryant had in L.A., James led his Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals before getting thumped by the San Antonio Spurs.
James averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists during the Cavs’ playoff run, including a 48-point game in Detroit in the Conference Finals when he scored 29 of his team’s final 30 points.
James and Bryant were jockeying for the game’s best player title. Though one was just entering his prime and the other was in the heart of his prime, if Bryant were to have his trade request honored, the Lakers wouldn’t settle for a player less than James’ caliber. That’s how valuable No. 23 was given that he was a fourth-year player compared to a nearly 30-year-old Bryant.
Regardless of how close Bryant was to leaving the Lakers in 2007, none of it mattered in the end. He would win two more titles with the Lakers and cement his legacy. But in the 2007-08 season, a season in which James was coming off a Finals appearance while Bryant was on early vacation, the Kobe-LeBron talk reached the heights of sports debate.
Preseason Voting
When the NBA conducted its annual GM survey before the season, James was the clear favorite to win the 2008 NBA MVP, garnering 29.6 percent of the votes. Bryant, meanwhile, garnered 18.5 percent of the votes, which was the third-most. Keep in mind that Bryant was entering year 12 of his NBA career, still without a regular season MVP to his name.
James was still young, 23 years old, to be exact. He was going into year 5, and though he wasn’t a champion like Bryant yet, no one argued for James’ rank in the NBA being anything below #2.
First Matchup of 2007-08
Five days before Christmas, NBA fans witnessed the game’s two marquee players square off. Considering what had transpired for James and Bryant leading up to this game — this was destined to be a fun one.
The game was tooth and nail in the final moments. The crowd was on its feet as two of the best players in the world were guarding each other. Unfortunately, there was no movie-like last-second walk-off shot, but James did get the better of Bryant on both the scoreboard and the stat-sheet.
James had 33 points to Bryant’s 21, and the Cavs cashed in on a narrow lead down the stretch, winning the game by 4.
In addition to his stellar offense, James was a brute on defense. He forced Bryant backward and off balance as he missed what would’ve been a game-winner.
James and Bryant invited the challenge of having to guard each other. Even in the FIBA games five months earlier, the two superstars treated every practice like it was their last. Their regular season matchups never lacked intensity.
“If you want to win ballgames, you have to be able to defend the best player,” James said after Cleveland defeated L.A. “I think we both took on the challenge.”
“Why not?” Bryant said after the game. “I look forward to those matchups, that’s what I do as a defensive player.”
Understanding the Stakes
Kobe Bryant hated losing, let alone losing against his chief rival in James. Because they only met twice in the regular season, every game meant a lot to these two fearless competitors. Bryant knew James was on the rise and arguably the biggest name in sports. James knew he had plenty of work to do to arrive at the kind of resume Bryant had.
Bryant understood his legacy was still void of an MVP award; he knew James was favored to win his first MVP just 5 years into his career. The last thing Bryant wanted was to see James an NBA MVP at 23 when he knew he hadn’t won one entering his 12th season.
James understood that he could clear a ton of ground if he stood there at the end of the season, hoisting the NBA MVP award, a championship, and an NBA Finals MVP.
A ton was on the line in what felt like a turning point season for the two future Hall of Famers.
James, Bryant Bolster Their Midseason MVP Case
When the Cavs and Lakers met again, Cleveland had flipped a switch. After starting the season 12-15, the Cavs went 12-4 over their next 16 games. James went on a ridiculous tear, averaging nearly 30 points on 48 percent shooting.
Bryant was equally as impressive, scoring at least 35 points six different times over that same stretch. In a game against the Seattle SuperSonics on Jan. 14, Bryant scored 48 points in a close victory. One day later, James erupted for 51 with six 3-pointers against the Memphis Grizzlies, also in a victory.
Even when they weren’t playing in the same building you got the feeling that these two MVP candidates were keen on each other’s performance on a nightly basis.
Jan. 27: James Edges Bryant in The Race
Here we went again. Bryant had an opportunity to avenge the loss to James from five weeks earlier. This time in Los Angeles, the Cavs met the Lakers. Close to 19,000 fans at the Staples Center were in for a special treat. Passionate and novice NBA fans, alike, understood this matchup would carry weight in the MVP voting. It was inarguable that the winner of this game would have a definitive lead in the race.
In the first half, it was clear that James was hunting for MVP recognition over Bryant: he scored 21 points and took 17 shots. Even back then, 17 shots in a half was uncharacteristic of James. Bryant, meanwhile, played a more reserved game. Though he was excellent all-around — scoring 13 and adding 5 assists and 7 rebounds — he took just six shots.
Inevitably, the game would come down to the final stretch. In the fourth quarter, James maintained his aggressive approach on offense. On the other hand, Bryant was also aggressively looking to score. James had 14 points in the final period, converting 5 of his 7 shot attempts, including two huge baskets in the final minute of the contest. The biggest shot of the night was the one James hit over the outstretched fingertips of Bryant with 20 seconds left.
Just like a month earlier in Cleveland James was draped all over Bryant on a crucial possession. This time, James’ suffocating defense forced Bryant to do what he rarely chose to do at the end of games: pass the ball. James finished with 41 points on 50 percent shooting. Fresh off a Finals appearance at 22 years old, James vanquished Bryant’s Lakers in both regular season matchups, officially moving him ahead in the MVP race.
LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant: 2007-08 Recap, By The Numbers
Over the final stretch of the season, both James and Bryant were terrific individually. James secured the scoring title in 2007-08 — the first and (likely) last of his career. He was the only player that season to average at least 30 points per game. In fact, the gap between James and the second-leading scorer (Bryant) was a significant one (30.0 to 28.3).
The biggest thing that derailed James’ late-season MVP push was mediocrity in the win column. Though winning 45 games isn’t awful, the Cavs went just 21-18 after their win in L.A. on Jan. 27. Meanwhile, Bryant’s Lakers finished the season 30-10. Over those 40 games, Bryant averaged 28.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 46 percent shooting the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line. That was serious MVP material.
For the season, James played one of the greatest individual seasons of all time. At 23 years old, James finished 1st in field goals, P.E.R., and box plus-minus, and finished 2nd in triple-doubles and overall win shares.
Both James and Bryant were voted starters in the All-Star Game and were selected for the All-NBA First Team. Bryant was also selected for the All-Defensive First Team and finished in 5th place in DPOY voting.
Factoring in individual statistics and accolades and overall team success, Bryant was awarded the 2008 NBA MVP. After 12 years in the NBA, Bryant was an MVP at last.
James’ Reverence to Bryant
While LeBron James understood what was at stake each time he met Kobe Bryant, his appreciation for the Lakers legend was always deeply rooted. Before the 2007-08 season, James said of Bryant, “He’s the most talented player in the game.” Before their first matchup of the season, James said, “He’s the No. 1 scorer in our league.”
Even as he went pro straight out of high school in 2003, James called Bryant the best player in the world. The 2008 MVP race was just one notch in the book of legendary LeBron-Kobe battles.
