One of the best rivalries of the 2000s and 2010s was the one between megastars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant . While the Black Mamba was the undisputed best of his generation, the King's phenomenal skills and talent had him encroaching on the former's domain, resulting in entertaining matchups that brought out the best in both elite athletes.
In fact, LeBron recalled how Kobe brought out every trick he knew to get him off-balanced, including one where he feigned running a play only to end up going one-on-one.
James and Bryant faced off 22 times in their careers, with each game offering many thrills and highlights. With both possessing elite basketball skills, each matchup became a test of will and determination. LeBron revealed that there were times when Kobe misled him with a nifty misdirection ploy.
"I swear he used to trick the s—t out of me," the 23-year NBA veteran revealed on "Bob Does Sports."
"Kobe would come down the court, he'd be like (mimics a hand signal) 'Yeah, that's it, that's it.' He'd look over at Phil, like I'm like, 'What the f—cking play is he running?'" the 6'9" forward from Akron, continued.
"And every time they swing the ball to him, he go iso. I'm like, 'Oh, there's no play. This guy's trying to kill me,'" LeBron stressed, laughing at the memory.
LeBron actually addressed this while he and Kobe spent time together on the 2008 Redeem Team. James hilariously shared that he spent five years trying to figure out what play Bryant was asking to run every time he did the hand signal, only to find out later on that there was, in fact, no play whatsoever.
While LeBron and Kobe were big rivals in the NBA, they found themselves teaming up for the same gold-medal cause in 2008. With the United States' dominance on the international stage under assault from other equally talented and more cohesive foreign squads, James said that Bryant's presence on the Redeem Team was exactly what the doctor ordered.
"I think it was just the missing link that we needed in order to regain the dominance with Team USA. He brought a sense of seriousness to the team. He made us lock in," LeBron said of Kobe during the Redeem Team's induction into the Hall of Fame.
While LeBron's class clown personality brought fun and silliness to such an intense atmosphere, Kobe's presence reminded everyone to lock in; it was a perfect balance, so to speak.
"We knew once he joined and he was going to be committed that we couldn't be doing nothing half-a—s. Kobe wasn't going for that," LeBron added. "So it made myself, CP, D-Wade, Melo — we all locked in even more because we wanted to show him that we could get to that level as well. So, it was just an honor to be out there with him."
Much like his idol, Michael Jordan, Kobe was the ultimate competitor. And he was willing to do whatever he could to gain an advantage over his opponent. And with a foe as elite as LeBron, that meant using unconventional methods to keep him off kilter.
Related: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James — Deron Williams on who he would pick to take the last shot
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
