Good question, because I think that they are actually pretty close.
Skillset: Kobe had a bigger bag, but Iverson had better handles. Kobe was a slightly better shooter from long range. Both were incredibly high volume scorers who took shots from nearly everywhere on the court and both had no issue taking tough shots which led to both having a large number of inefficient games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jopi5e46PAYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7szKpp0Q2c
Both could easily get 25 to 35 points a night easily due to their volume and their skillsets. Iverson was quicker and would usually drive in to finish with a circus layup or stop on a dime with a midrange jumper. Kobe wasn’t as known for his handles or quickness but was taller and dunked more and also had more moves in the post, in addition to an array of midrange jumpers too.
Kobe was *slightly* more efficient though not by much and this is due to Kobe’s slightly better long range shooting and slightly higher FT% as well leading to Kobe having a better TS%. Iverson however, was the better playmaker and in fact did play PG for a good portion of his career. This helped set up his teammates for easy looks and in general I would say their offensive impact is similar as a result.
Both were all time shot creators – Kobe has the slight edge due to his massive array of moves and slightly better shooting. Iverson has the edge setting up teammates. Offensive impact is thus quite similar between the two.
Defensive impact is a bit different – while Iverson was a better ball thief, Kobe was the better on ball defender.
Mentality wise I don’t think anyone would accuse either of them of not having competitive edge. Both of them were considered ‘killers’ on the court.
Career wise it’s obviously Kobe but I’ll note that Kobe benefitted greatly from having Phil Jackson + a hall of fame level big man like Shaq or Gasol beside him. Iverson never had such benefits. It’s possible Iverson could have won multiple rings had he had the same situation.
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