When Kobe Bryant retires at the end of the season, the book will officially close on the possibility of ever seeing him and LeBron James face off in the NBA Finals. And for that, LeBron blames himself.
Each of the last nine NBA Finals has featured either Kobe or LeBron, but the two future Hall of Famers never got there at the same time. On Tuesday, LeBron spoke about how he blew a chance to make it happen in 2009.
“I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain,” he said, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, he wanted it. He held up his end, I didn’t hold up my end and I hate that. I hate that it didn’t happen.”
James is understandably disappointed that his Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic that year. But for the past five years it has been LeBron — not Kobe — playing for a championship. Both players have had plenty of success, the stars just never aligned.
With Bryant having officially announced that he will retire, LeBron reflected on the impact the five-time champion had on his career.
“Just being a competitor, he took me to that next level, and understanding how important competition is and just have a willingness to never die,” James said. “You may lose a game, but you’re always going to win every battle or win the war. You get that all from Kobe, just competing against him every year.”
LeBron’s comments about Kobe weren’t quite as electric as the ones Kevin Durant made earlier this week, but they were another example of how respected Bryant is across the league. A LeBron-Kobe NBA Finals would have been awesome.
Photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
