But I do also agree that it's subjective, Jordan vs James have been in the discussion for the GOAT and they played in the different era so hard to compare.
No one can really be compared to Jordan, he’s in a league of his own. But if we’re gonna have a debate, it makes more sense to compare Kobe and LeBron and take MJ out of the picture.
When it comes to championships, Kobe has 5 rings while LeBron has 4. Now look at this: Kobe made 7 Finals appearances and went 5-2. LeBron has been to the Finals 10 times, but he’s 4-6. So even though LeBron reached the Finals more often, Kobe made the most out of his chances. That alone says a lot.
And if you really look at LeBron’s Finals losses, there were a few blowouts where his teams weren’t even close:
2007: 0-4 vs Spurs
2011: 2-4 vs Mavericks (and this was already with the Heat)
2014: 1-4 vs Spurs
2015: 2-4 vs Warriors
2017: 1-4 vs Warriors
2018: 0-4 vs WarriorsSo, more appearances, but a lot of those weren’t even competitive.
Kobe, on the other hand, rarely let those moments slip. That's why, for me, he edges out LeBron.