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5 Greatest Kobe vs. LeBron Moments

By Carter Johnson

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat and Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers laugh during the second half of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. The Western Conference won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat and Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers laugh during the second half of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. The Western Conference won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. Not Once, But Twice (2013)

By 2013, LeBron James had successfully unseated Kobe Bryant as the reigning best player in the world.

James had just came off of an otherworldly season in 2011-12 where he won his third NBA MVP award, his first NBA championship and Finals MVP and his second Olympic gold medal, joining MJ as the only other player to win all of those things in the course of a year.

While LeBron and the Miami Heat seemed poised for yet another title run, Kobe and the Lakers were in the midst of a championship experiment gone horribly wrong, as the Mamba was struggling to coexist with newly acquired co-star Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash was struggling with injuries.

As the Lakers struggled, many wondered if Bryant’s best days were behind him. Of course, the Mamba relishes the opportunity to prove doubters wrong and assert his place as one of the more dominant players to ever play.

The 2013 NBA All-Star Game presented yet another one of those opportunities and gave us the greatest moment in the Kobe-LeBron rivalry.

Neither player had particularly phenomenal performances (James scored 19 while Bryant scored nine), but the battle between the rivals took center stage as the game reached its final minutes.

Bryant and James went one on one with a little under three minutes left in the game and the East down by eight. James hit Bryant with a crossover and tried to blow by him for a pull-up when Bryant stuffed him from behind, leading to a fastbreak dunk for Kevin Durant that put the West up 10.

Then, with 47.7 seconds left and the East down by eight again, James attempted to drive Bryant the length of the floor to the rim before getting swatted again.

The King wouldn’t try for a third attempt and passed up the final shot of the game, a move that earned him a scolding from Bryant.

The iconic swats were the hot topic of debate between prideful Kobe fans and LeBron fans who swear the first block was a foul to this day.

More hoops habit: Kobe Bryant's 50 Greatest Moments

This moment gave us a final showdown between two of the greatest players of the decade — and perhaps in NBA history — while both were still dominant forces in the league. While fans are grateful for the many moments the two gave us, they’ll always be slightly disappointed that they could never see Kobe Bryant and LeBron James face off on the big stage at the height of their respective powers.

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