In this blog, we will be comparing the two NBA greats, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. Both players have had amazing careers, but who is better? We will take a look at their stats, accomplishments, and impact on the game to try to answer this question.

Kevin Durant Vs Kobe Bryant

NBA Championships and Seasons

	Kobe Bryant	Kevin Durant
NBA Championships	5	2
NBA Seasons	20	14
Playoffs Played	15	11
All-Star Games	18	12

Honors and Awards

	Kobe Bryant	Kevin Durant
Season MVP	1	1
Finals MVP	2	2
All-NBA First Team	11	6
All-NBA Teams	15	10
All-Defensive 1st Team	9	0
All-Defensive Teams	12	0
Scoring Leader	2	4
Rookie of The Year	0	1

Points

• Kobe Bryant: 81 points (Lakers vs. Raptors, January 22, 2006)
• Kevin Durant: 55 points (Nets vs. Hawks, April 02, 2022)

Kobe Bryant holds the record for the second-highest scoring performance in NBA history, with 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. Kobe found his range in this regular-season matchup, shooting 28-46 from the field, including 7-13 from three and 18-20 from the free-throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers were a bad team at the time, and Bryant's offense was crucial as they were on their way to losing the game. Kobe led the Lakers to a 122-104 triumph over the Raptors. Only Wilt Chamberlain (100 points) had a greater scoring game than the Black Mamba. Kevin Durant set a new career high this season while playing for the Brooklyn Nets. The skilled forward went off on the Hawks' defense, hitting 19-28 shots from the field, including 8-10 from three and 9-11 from the free-throw line. When a player of Durant's caliber makes eight three-pointers in a row, a historic game should follow, which is exactly what transpired on April 02, 2022. Despite Durant's scoring outburst, the Nets were defeated 122-115. It's astounding that Durant has never scored more than 55 points in a single game while having the skill and capacity to score more than 60 points in a single game with relative ease. Again, KD never has that burning desire to take over with his offense and instead prefers to play the game the proper way. Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Rebounds

 

• Kobe Bryant: 16 Rebounds (Lakers vs. Raptors, January 24, 2010)
• Kevin Durant: 18 Rebounds (Thunder vs. Timberwolves, January 26, 2011)

In the month of January, Kobe Bryant had another career-high performance against the Toronto Raptors. But this time, it takes the form of crashing the boards. The skilled shooting guard set a career-best with 16 rebounds in a regular-season matchup that resulted in a one-point defeat. The Raptors won the game 106-105, although Bryant topped all players with 16 rebounds. Bryant averaged 5.2 RPG over his career; thus, he was always capable of routinely snatching the ball off the rim. Kevin Durant is close to 7 feet tall. Therefore it is no surprise that he grabbed an astounding 18 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 26, 2011. Durant produced another career-high number in January, with 47 points on 15-28 shooting from the field and 18 rebounds. The Thunder won the game 118-117, despite Kevin Love leading the team in rebounds (he had 21). Advantage: Kevin Durant

Assists

• Kobe Bryant: 17 assists (Lakers vs. Cavaliers, January 15, 2015)
• Kevin Durant: 16 Assists (Nets vs. Pacers, April 10, 2022)

Kobe Bryant was a scorer, and he made no apologies for it. The Laker star was notorious for being a gunner, constantly taking the most shots on his team and pushing everyone to accept it. What is the reason? Bryant won five championships in this manner, so it certainly worked. But Bryant was an excellent passer, which was sometimes overlooked by fans and the media. The shooting guard has one of the greatest basketball IQs in NBA history, which he exploited to rack up an amazing 17 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers in January of 2015. Bryant had more assists than the whole Cavaliers squad against LeBron James (36 points, five assists), but the team lost 109-102. Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets set another career best this season with 16 assists in a 134-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Durant, a scorer first, is not recognized for his passing abilities, albeit it is above-average. Durant has averaged 4.3 assists per game in his career, indicating that he can move the ball when needed. In a magnificent effort against the Pacers, KD scored 20 points, ten rebounds, and 16 assists. When a score-first player like Durant feeds his teammates like that, a win is usually certain, which is why three of his teammates, including Kyrie Irving, scored at least 20 points (35 points). Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Steals

• Kobe Bryant: 7 steals (Lakers vs. Jazz, February 13, 2006)
• Kevin Durant: 5 steals Thunder vs. Mavericks (December 13, 2008), Thunder vs. Mavericks (April 03, 2010), Thunder vs. Clippers (November 21, 2012), (Thunder vs. Nuggets, January 16, 2013)

In a game against the Utah Jazz in 2006, Kobe Bryant had seven steals and 23 points. The Lakers won the game 94-88, and his career-high in thefts surpassed that of the whole Jazz squad. The shooting guard is an exceptional defender with 12 All-Defensive Team choices, so he definitely knew how to punish the opponent for their bad handles and inability to create quality plays. Bryant was a hound for thefts, whether he was playing passing lanes or picking the ball in one-on-one situations. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant recorded a career-high five steals in four different games throughout his eventual Hall of Fame career. The first occurred in 2008 when he had five steals against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. KD last did that in 2013 against the Denver Nuggets as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Slim Reaper has a 1.1 SPG average compared to Kobe Bryant's 1.4 SPG average, which is why he has never surpassed the 5-steal mark. Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Blocks

• Kobe Bryant: 5 blocks (Lakers vs. Grizzlies, December 11, 1999), (Lakers vs. 76ers, February 20, 2000). (Lakers vs. Hornets, February 02, 2001)
• Kevin Durant: 7 blocks (Warriors against. Pelicans, October 20, 2017), (Warriors vs. Kings, February 21, 2019)

Kobe Bryant blocked five shots in a single game three times, the first in 1999 and the last in 2001. It's hardly surprising that Kobe's career high in blocks came when he was younger because his agility and hops were exceptional. "Afro Kobe" could leap off his feet with ease, which is why he was able to swat away an incredible five shots in a single game. Bryant has a career average of 0.5 BPG, with his best season coming in 1999, when he had 1.0 BPG. Bryant, who was not regarded as a shot-blocker, had a natural defensive IQ that allowed him to get to shots when he got ahead of himself. Kevin Durant, at nearly 7 feet tall, was a nightmare on defense for the Golden State Warriors. Because of the abundance of quality surrounding him on the offensive end, Durant was able to focus on his defense, which is why he blocked an incredible seven shots on two consecutive occasions. The first occurred against the Pelicans in 2017, when Durant also had 22 points and eight rebounds. The next occurred in 2019 when KD had 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks. Durant has a lifetime average of 1.1 BPG. Advantage: Kevin Durant

3-Pointers Made

• Kobe Bryant: 12 Made 3 pointers (Lakers vs. SuperSonics, January 07, 2003)
• Kevin Durant: 8 3-pointers made (Nets vs. Hawks, April 02, 2022)

Despite being known as a volume three-point shooter and not a great marksman from deep, Kobe Bryant managed to sink 12 three-pointers in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics in 2003. Bryant had a monster offensive game, finishing with 45 points on 12-18 shooting from three. Kobe had the ability to get hot from anywhere on the perimeter, and even though he shot a lifetime 32.9% from three, he could make his shots and demoralize the opposition. Of course, the Lakers won the game 119-98. Kevin Durant hit a career-high eight three-pointers this season while playing for the Brooklyn Nets rather than the Golden State Warriors. The big hit eight three-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks, despite the fact that the Nets lost the game 122-115 when KD scored a career-high 55 points. The Nets were unable to seal the deal because the Hawks had enough energy due to Trae Young's 36-point, 10-assist outing. Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Field Goals Made

• Kobe Bryant: 28 Field Goals (Lakers vs. Raptors, January 22, 2006)
• Kevin Durant: 19 Field Goals Made (Thunder vs. Nuggets, February 19, 2012), (Thunder vs. Warriors, January 17, 2014), (Nets vs. Knicks, March 13, 2022), (Nets vs. Hawks, April 02, 2022)

Kobe Bryant set a career record with 28 field goals against the Toronto Raptors in the 2006 season. The Black Mamba was just unconscious because he played with passion and aggression that we had never seen before. The shooting guard shot 28-46 from the field, including 7-13 from three-point range and 18-20 from the free-throw line. Looking at how Kobe performed, it was evident that he had no qualms about attempting over 50 shots in the game, and he powered the Lakers to an incredible 122-104 comeback victory. Kevin Durant's career best in points scored and field goals made pales in contrast to Kobe's. The swingman missed 19 shots on four consecutive occasions while having the ability to make over 20 field goals with relative ease. However, Durant's refusal to force the issue and instead distribute the ball reduced his numbers. Despite this, KD made 19 shots with the Thunder twice and 19 with the Nets this season. Durant put up 53 and 55 points against the Knicks and Hawks in less than two months. Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Free Throws Made

• Kobe Bryant: 23 free throws made (Lakers vs. Cavaliers, January 30, 2001), (Lakers vs. Knicks, January 31, 2006)
• Kevin Durant: 24 made free throws (Thunder vs. Clippers, January 23, 2009)

Kobe Bryant was not only a fantastic mid-range shooter but he was also skilled at attacking the rim to draw fouls. Bryant, an explosive athlete in his heyday, found it too easy to go past his opponents, and he was frequently hacked to prevent him from making an easy layup or dunk. Of course, Bryant was also skilled at pump-faking and garnering fouls on his shots. Bryant sank 23 free throws in a single game twice, the first in 2001 and the second in 2006. Bryant had 47 and 40 points in those games, respectively. Kevin Durant never scored as many points as Bryant in a single game, yet he still made more free throws than The Black Mamba. In January 2009, he made 24 foul throws on 26 tries against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unsurprisingly, Durant topped all scorers with 46 points. However, Durant was unable to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory, as the Clippers won the game 107-104. Advantage: Kevin Durant

Turnovers

• Kobe Bryant: 11 turnovers (Lakers vs. Pistons, January 31, 2008)
• Kevin Durant has 11 turnovers (Thunder vs. Spurs, January 22, 2014)

Kobe Bryant averaged 3.0 turnovers per game throughout his career, owing to the fact that he was such a high-usage player who handled the ball a lot and was also obliged to create offense for his team. Bryant was forced to cope with tough defenses throughout his career because he was constantly double-teamed. Bryant also had 11 turnovers in a game against the Pistons in 2008, which cost the Lakers 90-89 despite Bryant scoring 39 points. Kevin Durant is similar to Kobe in terms of the aggression he has had to deal with throughout his career, which is why he has an average of 3.2 turnovers per game. Durant, like Kobe, recorded a career-high 11 turnovers in a single game against the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Except for this time, Durant was able to lead his team to win against the Spurs by scoring 36 points. It's remarkable to observe how both Bryant and Durant turned the ball over so frequently against top defensive teams, especially since the Pistons and Spurs were known for their lockdown defense. Advantage: Even

Post-Up Game

Nothing beats a Kobe Bryant fadeaway from the post. Bryant may spin over either shoulder with his back to the hoop to generate space. But it's Kobe's ability to shoot on the way down that makes his post-game so special. For most, if the ball isn't launched at the height of their jump, forget it—the ball could not even reach the rim. However, Kobe's ability to alter mid-air and wait until the very last second to avoid a contested shot allows him to grab open looks at the rim at the most inopportune times. Durant can post and has added to his toolbox this year, but he's not as comfortable with his back to the basket as Kobe. Edge: Kobe Bryant

Step-Back Jumper

Kobe Bryant is well-known for his ability to consistently hit difficult shots. He's open when he's covered. Being able to split from a defender is what distinguishes great scorers. Bryant can make his own shot even in the most difficult of situations. While Durant is capable of separating and converting off the dribble, he lacks Kobe's regularity and consistency. There hasn't been a greater step-back jump shooter in our game since Michael Jordan. Edge: Kobe Bryant

Pull-Up Jumper

Kevin Durant's ability to dribble past a screen and pull up with balance is one of the reasons his offensive style is so effective. His pull-up jumper is similar to his layup. Durant, who stands approximately 6'10" and has an unrivaled wingspan for a perimeter scorer, can rise and fire from 10 feet or 27 feet away from the hoop. Kobe can knock them down with the best of them, but he likes to fade left, right, or back then of going straight up. It's simply a personal taste. Who has the superior pull-up game isn't that important. Edge: Kevin Durant

Foul Shooting

Durant used to be chastised for not getting to the line quickly enough. Although Kobe Bryant's career is clearly far longer, Durant is averaging eight free throw attempts per game to Kobe's 7.6. Durant also shoots 88.2 percent from the line in his career, compared to Kobe's 83.8 percent. Bottom line: Both can go to the line and convert at incredible rates. Durant, on the other hand, is the more automatic of the two. Edge: Kevin Durant

Defense

Kobe Bryant has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times in his career. You can't meddle with that. He's regarded as a lockdown perimeter defender, which is unusual for a scorer who needs to preserve all of his energy in order to fry on the opposite side of the ball. Durant's stature necessitates him to guard taller and stronger scorers, and although he isn't a defensive liability, he doesn't provide the same lockdown services as Bryant. Edge: Kobe Bryant

Passing

Kobe Bryant, believe it or not, is a decent passer. He's able to generate scoring opportunities for others because of his off-the-dribble game. It's just a matter of trusting his teammates and being willing to give it up. Except for this year, Bryant hasn't had a point guard capable of breaking down defenses. He's begun numerous possessions with the ball in his hands, making him a playmaker rather than a scorer. In fact, he had 14 assists the other night versus Utah. Durant, on the other side, has Russell Westbrook, who performs all playmaking duties for the Thunder. Oklahoma City has given Durant one basic instruction: put the ball in the hole. Edge: Kobe Bryant

Intangibles

What are intangibles? For the most part, these are intangible attributes or strengths of an individual, such as Kobe's basketball IQ, leadership, and contagious zeal. He's the one who informs you your work isn't up to par. He's also the type of person that inspires others by deeds rather than words. Bryant may be perceived as a ball hog, but the intangibles he brings to the table benefit his teammates regardless of whether he passes the ball to them. This isn't a criticism of Durant; he simply hasn't been in the game long enough to catch up on some of the things Kobe has learned throughout his 17-year career. Edge: Kobe Bryant

Close

With 10 seconds remaining, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant are the first two players you'd call on down one. Bryant has been the most dangerous and dependable closer over the last 15 years. He lives for the last shot. But so does Durant. When the game is on the line, everyone in the building knows who's going to get the ball, and the opponent has no choice but to accept it. These people have icy water coursing through their veins. It will be fascinating to see who has more game-winners towards the conclusion of their careers.

6 Stats You Might Not Know

1. Bryant and Durant have faced each other 23 times since the start of the 2007 season. The Lakers have won 16 of those games, while the Thunder have won four of the last five. They have met in the playoffs seven times (since the Thunder were in Seattle), with the Lakers having a 4-3 advantage.
2. In the 23 games in which Bryant and Durant have faced each other, both players have outscored each other 11 times and scored the same number of points once. Durant, on the other hand, has outscored Kobe in ten of the previous fourteen games.
3. When their teams face each other, Bryant and Durant each shoot just under 21 shots per game. Bryant averages 20.9 shots per game, while Durant averages 20.5 shots per game.
4. Each player's points per game (ppg) in home and away games, wins and losses in the 23 times they've met each other:

• Bryant: 27.1 points per game at home; 24.6 points per game away; 26.0 points per game won; 25.3 points per game lost.
• Durant: 25.0 points per game at home; 25.3 points per game away; 26.7 points per game won; 24.4 points per game lost.

5. In regular-season games versus the Thunder, Bryant averages 27.0 points per game. His postseason average against Oklahoma is 23.0. Durant averages 25.2 points per game versus the Lakers during the regular season and 25.0 points per game in the playoffs.
6. Kobe's career-high versus the Thunder during the Bryant-Durant era was 48 points on January 14, 2008. On March 26, 2010, his game low was 11. On April 22, 2012, Durant set a game-best with 35 points against the Lakers. On February 24, 2008, he set a game low with 15 points.

See more:

• Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan
• Larry Bird Vs Kevin Durant

FAQs

1. How many times did Kobe play KD?

Bryant and Durant have played against each other 23 times since the start of the 2007 season. The Lakers have won 16 of those games though the Thunder have won four of the last five.

2. Is Kobe the best scorer?

A few people nowadays think that LeBron is a greater scorer than Kobe. KOBE IS THE GREATEST SCORER WE HAVE EVER SEEN. Greater Scorer Kareem or Kobe: Kareem is the all time leading scorer we all know this. He passed Wilt Chamberlain Karl Malone and Michael Jordan

3. What did Kobe Bryant say about Kevin Durant?

Once, after his retirement, Kobe was asked who was the toughest player he's ever had to guard. Kobe thought about it for a second and named Kevin Durant. He said, “Kevin Durant, that is the one I retired without having been able to figure out how to stop.”

Conclusion

In short, Both players are considered to be among the best in the game today, and their styles of play are very different. Durant is a long, lanky player who is an excellent shooter, while Bryant is a shorter, more muscular player who is better known for his ability to drive to the basket. Thank you for taking the time to read