LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have been to a combined 13 NBA Finals and at least one of them has been in the Finals in every season since 2007, yet they've never faced off in the championship series. With Bryant's career now coming to a close, James lamented that. "I didn't hold up my end of the bargain to meet in the Finals in 2009," he said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
LeBron James is sad he never faced Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals
“I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain to meet in the Finals in 2009,” he said.
Harry How/Getty Images
That was the closest the two came to matching up in the Finals. Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won the title, but James' Cleveland Cavaliers fell short in six games against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
James is being way too hard on himself for missing that chance. He averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and eight assists in the series and went over 40 points in three of the losses. His teammates just didn’t match his play.
There were several other opportunities for the two to face each other in the Finals. One of them reached the Finals while the other made it to the second round in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The Cavaliers and Lakers were both top seeds in 2010, but Cleveland’s second-round upset loss to the Boston Celtics triggered LeBron’s departure to the Miami Heat that summer. The following season, the third-seeded Dallas Mavericks destroyed second-seeded Los Angeles in the second round before beating Miami in the Finals.
In addition to lamenting the lack of a Finals matchup, James said Bryant gave him motivation throughout his career. The four-time MVP added that the afro he had in high school was because of Kobe. LeBron wanted to be just like Kobe, like many other star prospects at the time.
It’s a shame these two never squared off when it mattered most. We can only imagine how great a potential Finals duel would’ve been.
See More:
