Stephen Curry vs. Kobe Bryant Career Comparison: The Greatest Shooter In NBA History Against The Black Mamba

Stephen Curry is recognized as one of the all-time great point guards and unquestionably the greatest shooter to ever play the game. Anytime he gets on the court, the “Babyface Assassin” does not appear to be much, yet there is no denying that he is a terrific talent with exceptional basketball skills. Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP winner, revolutionized the NBA by urging players to take as many three-pointers as they can because three points count more than two. Not to mention, if he wins a few more NBA titles, Curry will likely challenge Magic Johnson for the title of greatest point guard of all time, a feat that would be unbelievable to imagine.

After 20 seasons of outstanding play on both ends of the floor, Kobe Bryant is considered the second-best shooting guard of all time with relative ease. No shooting guard outside of the greatest player of all time in Michael Jordan has earned as many honors in his Hall of Fame career as Bryant, who also served as the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty that won five NBA titles. In terms of consistency in clutch moments, scoring ability, and all-around supremacy, only Jordan comes to mind when discussing Bryant’s accomplishments. But which star player had a more successful career?

Both Curry and Bryant had amazing careers and should be honored as two of the greatest players of all time. Their achievements are extraordinary and their longevity is something that is hard to compare to. To try to distinguish between the two legends, it is time to compare the careers of both players by their most important achievements and statistical categories. The end result might be surprising because both stars are held in the highest regard.

Championships

Stephen Curry: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)

Kobe Bryant: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)

Four NBA titles have been won by Stephen Curry as a Golden State Warriors player. His first in 2015 was excellent, but despite being the team’s top player, the point guard did not win the Finals MVP accolade. Curry and Durant also shared championship victories in 2017 and 2018, the latter of which came after the star small forward made one of the most unexpected moves in NBA history regarding his free agency. Curry undoubtedly won the 2022 title, which was his most significant victory to date. Curry finally took home his first MVP trophy.

But Kobe Bryant has the edge, winning 5 rings, all as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. His first in 2000 was impressive, as the young shooting guard followed Shaq’s lead while providing clutch scoring alongside him. Bryant also won the 2001 and 2002 championships alongside Shaq to complete a historic three-peat. Of course, Bryant was a member of the 2009 and 2010 championship sides that saw the rise of Kobe Bryant as the most spectacular guard since Michael Jordan.

Winning rings is the single most important part of a superstar’s career, and Bryant has the edge over Stephen Curry. Steph has played with some all-time great players such as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but he was always the franchise player on the court. Similarly, Bryant played with some elite talent including Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol, and he was the undisputed best player in 2 out of those 5 series. But overall, in the raw number of championships won, Kobe Bryant has the edge.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Finals MVP Awards

Stephen Curry: 1 (2022)

Kobe Bryant: 2 (2009, 2010)

After the 2022 NBA season, Stephen Curry made a breakthrough and won his first Finals MVP award. Steph finally added the Finals MVP honor to his list of career accomplishments so that he may join the Hall of Fame. Andre Iguodala, a swingman for the Golden State Warriors, won Finals MVP in 2015 by being the team’s top player and guarding LeBron James with an average of 16.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. However, Steph did it in 2022, and it was clear that he deserved it. He does not, however, have as many honors as Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, won 2 Finals MVP awards as Shaquille O’Neal won all three Finals MVP awards during the 3-peat. No doubt, the Lakers do not win multiple championships if Bryant is not the most spectacular perimeter player on the team because his elite two-way play was undisputedly great. Earning two Finals MVPs is impressive, and that thrust him into the conversation for being a top-10 player of all time. In the end, Bryant has an edge in the Finals MVP awards. Whenever Kobe Bryant played well, his team won in the Finals and that was a constant throughout his career. With 2 Finals MVPs to his name versus Curry’s number of 1 Finals MVP, there is a clear winner, and it goes to The Black Mamba.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

MVP Awards

Stephen Curry: 2 (2015, 2016)

Kobe Bryant: 1 (2008)

As a member of the Warriors, Stephen Curry earned both the NBA championship and the MVP award in 2015. For the Warriors, he put up averages of 23.8 PPG and 7.7 APG, solidifying his status as the league’s top point guard. By averaging 30.1 PPG and 6.7 APG, Stephen Curry became the first player to win the MVP award without any disagreements. Curry cemented his status as the finest shooter we have ever seen by leading the Warriors to the best record in NBA history with a 73-9 record. That means the point guard has won two MVP trophies, which is undoubtedly a noteworthy accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant somehow only won an MVP award as a member of the Lakers. The first and only award came in 2008 when the superstar shooting guard posted a 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.4 APG while shooting 45.9% from the field. Finally, Bryant earned his MVP award after leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record which led all teams in the Western Conference. It is believed Bryant should have won one of Steve Nash’s MVP awards, but that is the past, and Kobe only retired with one MVP award.

Ultimately, there is a separation between the two superstars because Steph managed an extra MVP award over the all-time great shooting guard. Both superstar players are recognized as the franchise players for their teams in their respective periods, and also the best players at their position almost every season of their absolute prime, but Steph has the edge in this category.

Advantage: Stephen Curry

All-NBA Teams

Stephen Curry: 8 (4 First Team, 3 Second Team, 1 Third Team)

Kobe Bryant: 15 (11 First Team, 2 Second Team, 2 Third Team)

Stephen Curry has been named to 8 All-NBA Teams, including 4 First Teams. Naturally, he had to limit his choices because he shared the court with other elite guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Damian Lillard. Not to mention, Curry was a late bloomer because, in his fourth season, at age 25, he was named to his first All-NBA Team. Even though he will be 34 years old at the start of the following season, the Golden State Warriors star is still very likely to be named to a few more All-NBA Teams. However, he will never catch Kobe Bryant, which is crucial for our comparison. Because he does not have nearly as many All-NBA Teams as the big man does, Stephen currently does not have an advantage over The Black Mamba, especially when looking at purely First Team selections.

Kobe Bryant has made 15 All-NBA Teams, with 11 First Team appearances. Of course, those are incredible achievements and we might not see a player with this type of consistency as a shooting guard again. Even as Bryant aged and was no longer the player who could dunk over two or three players, he was capable of impacting the game on the defensive end of the court or controlling the pace of the offense from the post. As things stand, Kobe Bryant has an edge over Stephen Curry because the point guard has a long way to go to equal Kobe in terms of All-NBA selections.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

All-Star Selections

Stephen Curry: 8

Kobe Bryant: 18

Stephen Curry has had a total of 8 All-Star appearances as he approaches the age of 35. Curry’s early injuries limited the number of All-Star Teams he might have participated in, but the reality remains that he has less than half as many as Kobe Bryant. Making 8 All-Star Teams is no small feat, and he still has time to make a couple more before his career is through. Curry, however, has a significant amount of ground to make up if he wants to match Kobe Bryant’s record of 15 All-Star Team selections. Before he retires, Curry is anticipated to have at least 10 All-Star selections.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant has a total of 18 All-Star appearances. That is an incredible achievement for a shooting guard because the majority of players struggle to stay healthy and play at a star level for that long and often break down, as they take a ton of damage to their lower body. But Bryant is one of the most intelligent players ever, and he was able to impact the game for a very long time. As a bona fide All-Star offensive player, Bryant simply captivated audiences with his scoring and perimeter play year after year. Even on defense, Kobe was holding his own. No doubt, Bryant was a more dominant All-Star player than Curry has been.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

All-Defensive NBA Teams

Stephen Curry: 0

Kobe Bryant: 12 (9 First Team, 3 Second Team)

Anyone who has watched Stephen Curry play since he entered the league can see that he is clearly not an excellent defender. The 6’3″ point guard was frequently harassed by the best players on the other team since he lacks the innate ability to be a force on defense. Curry’s offensive prowess far outweighs his defensive shortcomings, but defense must also be taken into account when comparing his career to others. Over the course of their careers, it has been clear that Bryant is by far Steph’s opponent in terms of defensive consistency, and it hasn’t even been close.

One of the best defensive players in NBA history from the shooting guard position, Kobe Bryant, was named to 12 All-Defensive Teams, including 9 First Team selections. Bryant maintained his ability to stay with on-ball defenders and also play spectacular team offense for nearly two decades. He was athletic enough to be a force because he could move his feet and also explode to contest shots in his younger days. As he aged, Bryant was a master at team defense, as he would lead players into difficult positions. Watching Kobe play defense was down to his basketball IQ, which was all-time great.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Total Win Shares

Stephen Curry: 120.2

Kobe Bryant: 172.7

Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, it is obvious Kobe Bryant has a better win shares rating than Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry has a win shares rating of 120.2, a solid figure but clearly much less than Kobe Bryant’s. The point guard, for some reason, is not as important to his team with regards to win shares when compared to The Black Mamba. The point guard is obviously a player that impacts winning, but this particular statistic does not reflect that when comparing the Warriors star to other all-time great players.

Kobe Bryant’s win share rating ranks 16th all-time behind some other top stars including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and John Stockton. The superstar shooting guard influenced the game in various ways, including scoring the ball at superstar levels and making clutch plays. Bryant’s win share rating is very impressive, and it blows most players out of the water except for the 14 other players listed above him. Therefore, Bryant has another major advantage over Curry and it is by quite a margin.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Career Player Efficiency Rating

Stephen Curry: 23.8

Kobe Bryant: 22.9

Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger that’s goal is to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.

With a PER of 23.8, Stephen Curry is the 20th-best player of all time according to the statistic. Curry has winning potential because of his incredible offensive skill set and managed to have shooting splits of 47.3% FG, 42.8% 3-PT FG, and 90.8% FT while averaging 24.3 PPG over his career. On any level, that is absolutely elite, and Curry is always looking for new ways to enhance his game. Curry’s PER is quite significant when looking at his ability to make perimeter shots at a very high field goal percentage.

Kobe Bryant ranks 28th all-time with a PER of 22.9. Bryant has a positive influence on winning due to his incredible two-way skill set. Bryant managed to have shooting splits of 44.7% FG, 32.9% 3-PT FG, and 83.7% FT while averaging a career 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG. What ultimately “hurts” Bryant’s PER rating is his rather lower shooting percentages. Kobe loved taking bad shots and was often a gunner. It hardly affected his team because he made big ones when they counted, but for the sake of this comparison, Steph has an advantage in PER.

Advantage: Stephen Curry

Final Score

Stephen Curry vs. Kobe Bryant 2-7

In the end, Kobe Bryant has a significant career advantage over Stephen Curry and that will stay the course unless Curry can add a championship or two while winning two more Finals MVP awards to cut the deficit. Bryant earns the advantages in this career comparison so far because of his incredible dominance during his prime and his gift of being a consistent offensive force in competing at a high level for 20 seasons. That gives The Black Mamba the advantage of appearing in many more All-NBA Games and also focusing on what he does best. In terms of this career comparison, 5-time NBA champion and 2-time Finals MVP winner Kobe Bryant is considered the better player with the better career.

At 7-2, this does not seem like a very close career comparison, even if both players are exceptional players with impactful playing styles. In terms of playing perimeter defense, Kobe Bryant is one of the best of all time. Obviously, Curry has never been and will never be a dominant defensive player. As an All-Star stalwart, Bryant was on another level because of his supreme athleticism and quick start to his career usurped what Steph managed to do in his own career.

Kobe Bryant is the second-greatest shooting guard ever while Stephen Curry has yet to convince the masses that he is the best point guard ever. Bryant was taller at 6’6” and 215 lbs, and that meant Bryant could accumulate more All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive selections compared to a miniature guard who is limited in terms of size and defense. But overall, Bryant has a 7-2 career advantage in major accolade categories. 

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