In the previous article we discussed the quarterfinals match-up of our Best Player in the NBA debate. In the end, Kobe Bryant did away with Deron Williams and Dwyane Wade eliminated Chris Bosh, which leads up to the semi-finals.

Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade

Minus the age, both of these players have a little something in common. Both won Olympic gold in the summer of 2008 and both won an NBA championship with Shaq. The debate would go on forever as to who was more responsible for the Lakers run of three consecutive championships. It really depends on whose side you’re on, Kobe or Shaq. After their messy divorce, Shaq took his show out to Miami and promptly won his fourth title. Despite the mixed feelings on the Lakers championships, almost everybody would agree that D-Wade carried the Heat to their championship. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Wade is a better player than Bryant.

In the previous article I discussed some career numbers from the players in our bracket so I’m looking to take a different angle in this debate.

Kobe Bryant:
- 11 time All-Star (not counting this year)
- 2008 League MVP
- 2006 and 2007 NBA Scoring Champion
- 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 All-NBA First Team
- 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 All-Defensive First Team
- 2002 and 2007 All-Star Game MVP
- 2000, 2001, and 2002 NBA Champion

Dwyane Wade:
- 5 time All-Star (not counting this year)
- 2006 NBA Champion
- 2006 NBA Finals MVP


Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Like I said, Kobe has a bigger body of work to compare, but it’s still not even close. So which player is more important to his team? At the time of this article, the Heat are 5 games above .500 and in third place in their division. If you take Wade away, Charlotte might pass them, but I highly doubt that. With Wade, they are close enough to second place that they can easily take out Atlanta in the second half of the season, but they probably aren’t catching Orlando. To be fair, Wade isn’t exactly surrounded by the best supporting cast. I can’t see any possible way that the Heat would even sniff the playoffs if Wade wasn’t on top of his game.

At the time of this article, the Lakers are 27 games above .500 with a 10 game lead on the next closest team. Without Bryant, they no doubt slip up. Phoenix might catch up to them, but it’s unlikely. Because of a struggling division though, the Lakers would never fall past second place. With Bryant, the Lakers are the best team in the league. When the red hot Boston Celtics came to town on Christmas Day, the Lakers swept them aside and sent them into a tailspin. Bryant has a much better surrounding cast than Wade, but he is still the centerpiece of the team. Without him, the Lakers aren’t talking about a championship this year and they wouldn’t have made the Finals last year. With him, the Lakers are the front runners and my pick to win it all.

Winner: Kobe Bryant

This was a little bit closer than I thought it would be. I have a ton of respect for Dwyane Wade and what he has accomplished so far in his career. If he can stay healthy, he will definitely make noise in this league. But at this point, Kobe Bryant is a much better player. I think even the biggest Kobe haters would have to agree that he is an all-around better player that Wade.