Stastical Comparison: Kobe Bryant (#8) vs Kobe Bryant (#24)

The upcoming season of the NBA would be Kobe Bryant’s 19th in the league, the first of his most recent two year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Disappointing playoff performances to multiple NBA championships followed by a rebuild phase and more championships, he has been through thick and thin with the Los Angeles franchise.Barring the assists numbers, Bryant is at the top of every list on the Lakers record books and will continue doing so for decades until another star emerges or plays for the team. His contribution to the franchise will forever be considered invaluable.The hunger and drive for more championships even after five titles is still there even at his ripe age of 36. Over the years, Bryant has always worked on improving his game and physique yet in terms of his presence on the court other than his afro and thin figure, his jersey number is all that is changed.Of the 18 seasons played, Bryant played 10 wearing the number 8 jersey and the most recent 8 seasons wearing the number 24. So which version of the Black Mamba will come out on top in a head-to-head? Here is the statistical comparison.

#1 Regular Season Total Stats

Kobe Bryant	#8	#24
	Regular Season	Regular Season
Points	16,866	14,834
Rebounds	3,634	2,967
Assists	3,148	2,777
Blocks	431	189
Steals	1,059	776

Having played more season wearing the number 8 jersey and also being more younger, Bryant with the 8 jersey comes out on top across all regular season stats as the above table shows.

#2 Honours, Awards and Achievements

Kobe Bryant	#8	#24
Regular Season MVP’s	0	1
NBA Regular season Scoring Champion	1	1
All-NBA First Team Selections	4	7
All-NBA Second Team Selections	2	0
All-NBA Third Team Selections	2	0
All Star Selections	8	8
All-Star MVP’s	1	3
All-NBA Defensive First Team	4	5
All-NBA Defensive Second Team	2	1

As you can from the table, a more mature and lethal Bryant wearing the number 24 jersey has won more achievements and honors than his younger days.

#3 Playoff totals and NBA Championships

Kobe Bryant	#8	#24
Points	2,889	2,751
Rebounds	621	498
Assists	564	476
Steals	169	141
Blocks	92	52
NBA Championships	3	2
NBA Finals Record	3-1	2-1
NBA Finals MVP	0	2

While many might believe Bryant truly evolved and matured into an allround presence in the Playoffs during his later years, it was actually the young Kobe who was making more of an influence on the court. Although he might not have any Finals MVP to his credit but the number 8 Bryant thanks to dominant big man Shaquille O’Neal has more championships and a better NBA Finals record as well.

#4 Shooting percentages

Kobe Bryant	#8	#24
	Regular Season	Regular Season
Field Goal Percentage	.451	.456
3-Point Shooting Percentage	.336	.334
Free Throw Percentage	.834	.842
	Playoffs	Playoffs
Field Goal Percentage	.438	.461
3-Point Shooting Percentage	.329	.332
Free Throw Percentage	.790	.845

The regular season shooting percentages seem to be about the same throughout Bryant’s career however when it comes to the post-season or the Playoffs his maturity level and experience has prompted him to take better shots leading to higher percentages from the field, beyond the arc and from the free throw line. So number 24 Bryant is a clear winner here.

#5 Video

The moves, the swagger, the attitude and the drive remained the same, it was only the jersey number which changed. At the end of the day you can put them apart, they are one and the same person. So here is a video showcasing Bryant’s transition from the number 8 to 24. It has his best plays (blocks, assists, dunks) from before the change to after.