Although Kobe Bryant and LeBron James’ careers overlapped for 13 seasons, they never met in the NBA Finals. They came close in 2009, but “King James” failed to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I know the whole world wants to see it,” LeBron said. “I wanted it; we wanted it. He stood his ground and I didn’t stand my ground, and I hated that. I hated that that didn’t happen.”
Kobe delivered; LeBron didn’t
It seems that the stars are indeed ready for this showdown in 2009. The Cavaliers ended the regular season with a league-high 66 wins, while the Lakers ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 65 wins and 17 losses.
Heading into the playoffs, the Cavaliers and Lakers looked like teams to beat in their respective leagues. Still, getting to the Finals is easier said than done.
Bryant ultimately accomplished his mission, as the Purple and Gold defeated the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets to reach their second consecutive NBA Finals. However, the Cavaliers were stunned by the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
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Wade called LeBron after Kobe won the championship in 10 years
The Lakers eventually won back-to-back championships, and LeBron’s Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA playoffs. After Kobe Bryant won his fifth NBA championship, Wade recruited LeBron to join forces to form a super team.
“When Kobe was running for the ball, I was like, ‘LeBron, what are you going to do?’ “That was our summer free agency. They dominate,” Wade appeared on “The Sky Weekly Show” with Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki.
LeBron and Chris Bosh eventually joined forces with Wade in Miami, and the Big Three led the Heat to four straight Finals appearances. Meanwhile, Bryant has never led the Lakers past the second round since winning the 2010 championship.
Kobe’s Achilles injury essentially ended fans’ hopes of seeing LeBron play against Kobe. Kobe Bryant finals showdown. The 2009 NBA playoffs were their best chance, but unfortunately, James failed to deliver.