There are some dream matchups that every NBA fan has dreamed of seeing in the league. One of them was an all-out battle between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the world could never see that.
The closest it came to becoming a reality was in 2009. Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals from the Western Conference. With Kobe waiting for his opponent in the NBA Finals, most expected LeBron James to lead his Cleveland Cavaliers from the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs’ opponents were Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic, and the Magic were certainly the underdogs. But the Magic surprised the world and reached the NBA Finals, and the entire world was stripped of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing a Kobe vs. LeBron matchup in the NBA Finals.
LeBron James Once Shared His Thoughts On Not Facing Kobe Bryant In The 2009 NBA Finals
When Bryant announced his retirement, it became evident that the world would never see a Kobe vs. LeBron NBA Finals matchup. On that note, James shared his thoughts on his failure to qualify for the 2009 NBA Finals. James took the blame and defined it as one of his biggest regrets.
Via ESPN:
“I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals. I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn’t hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn’t happen. Obviously there was so much made about it, from commercials to media talk, to people just talking about the Lakers versus the Cavs, Kobe versus LeBron, Kobe versus LeBron, Kobe versus LeBron, but I couldn’t do that to my teammates to kind of assume. That’s not my job. I’ve seen the stat that since ’07 either he has or I’ve been in the Finals, but we’ve never matched up. And that definitely sucks. Not only for us two being competitors, wanting to go against each other in the Finals, but also for the fans.”
Although it was great to see Kobe Bryant win the fourth NBA Championship of his career that season if he had done the same against LeBron, it would have been even more incredible. The two players may have had mutual respect for each other, but when on the court, they are two of the greatest competitors to ever play in the NBA.
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