When Kobe Bryant and LeBron James comparisons were equated to comparing "a Maserati to a Volvo" by an NBA scout

While fans, critics, and even analysts loved comparing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, that was never the Akron native's goal. In fact, a few years ago, Dwyane Wade stated that even though the world tried to compare him and LeBron to Bryant, all that the two of them ever wanted to do was make Bryant proud.

Back in 2008, when LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were freshly eliminated from the Playoffs, Bryant was suiting up for the Western Conference Finals. While the Lakers went on to lose to the Celtics, Bryant picked up his only MVP award that year.

At the time, one scout spoke about the difference between Bryant and James using a pretty harsh analogy. The quote was published in Sports Illustrated's Kobe Bryant book titled "A Tribute to a Basketball Legend", where the unnamed scout praised Bryant.

"It's not even close, the different between him and LeBron is like a Masrerati and a Volvo."

He went on to praise Bryant for being one of the most athletic men in the league:

"There's a difference between loving basketball and liking basketball. There are only about 30 guys in the league who love it, who play year-round. Allen Iverson loves to play when the lights come on. Kobe loves doing the s--- before the lights come on."

Of course, that wouldn't be the only time LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were compared to one another over the course of James' historic career.

LeBron James' ongoing comparisons to Kobe Bryant

When LeBron James announced that he was leaving Cleveland for a second time and joining the LA Lakers, it was natural to draw comparisons to Kobe Bryant. After James and the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, the comparisons between him and Davis, and Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal poured in.

When James and Anthony Davis were dominating the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals, the comparisons surfaced once again. With the duo on a mission to win their first ring together, it seemed to be only a matter of time before they began to replicate some of the same success.

(Suggested Reading: LeBron heckled by courtside fan after loss)

New Orleans Pelicans v Los Angeles Lakers

It's no secret that James and Bryant have incredibly different playing styles. Despite that, Shaquille O'Neal thinks the two men share one big similarity -- the fact that they're both dawgs through and through.

He spoke in an interview with Slam Online over a decade ago, saying:

"Kobe is a scientific dawg. He works out every day, practices every day. Most of the other stars are just dawgs, not scientific dawgs. Me, I’m a freak-of-nature dawg because of my size. LeBron could be a scientific dawg like Kobe, but he’s got a lot going on, like I did, so that’s preventing him from being one."

Below, you can see Hall of Famers and NBA legends weighing in on the LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant debate.