Discussions about the biggest players in the NBA always spark a heated conversation across the basketball community.
The eternal LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan argument never reaches conclusions.
Kobe Bryant frequently participates in these discussions, especially when compared to LeBron, due to the large overlap in careers.
Both Lakers legends dominated the same era, creating natural comparisons between skill sets.
When discussing shooting capabilities, most basketball fans assume that Kobe has a clear advantage over LeBron over the arc. The three-point shooting is not considered LeBron’s strongest attribute throughout his career.
However, NBA analyst Nick Wright recently shared statistics that completely crush this widely believed belief. The numbers reveal a shocking truth that challenges fans to everything they remember about both superstars.
“If you ask 100 NBA fans from the 3-point shooter, Kobe and LeBron, the majority will say Kobe Bryant,” Wright said.
“Despite the fact that you could slice it, that’s not true. Kobe was 32.9% for his career. For his career, LeBron was 3-34.9%.”
Wright predicted a general rebuttal on volume shooting and systematically dismantled it with hard data.
The numbers reveal that LeBron actually tried three pointers per game over Kobe throughout their respective careers.
“Yeah, Nick. Kobe shot more. No. He didn’t. Kobe, 4.1 tries per game for his career.
Even playoff performances, which should brighten the reputation of Kobe clutches, tell the same story. Both players shot roughly the same percentage when they had the highest stakes.
“Well, Kobe was good in the playoffs. No. KOBE was 33.1% on his playoff career, four attempts per game. LeBron was 33.3% in his playoff career,” Wright continued.
During Kobe’s 20-year career (1996-2016), he made 1,827 3-pointers in 5,546 attempts. LeBron has shown both excellent accuracy and volume, connecting with 2,410 three-pointers from 6,901 attempts throughout his first 20 seasons.
“Essentially, LeBron chopped better, but with 4.9 attempts per game. It’s clear, as clean as the data is available, and it’s real. And people wouldn’t believe it.
The disconnect between statistical reality and fan perception highlights how the story shapes basketball memories.
Black Mamba’s reputation for clutch shooting and his memorable three-point celebration created a lasting impression that obscured actual performance data.
“In their mind’s eyes, Kobe was the dominant three-point assassin, and in their mind’s eyes, LeBron was just lowering his shoulders to reach the rim. On the day of Kobe’s retirement, he averaged three-point attempts per game, and he got worse.”