You have one choice: a Black Mamba or a King Cobra. No I am not putting you in danger by having you choose one of these harbingers of death. However, these names do strike fear into many NBA players. Why? These are the nicknames of two of the highest profile players in sports today and often the center of heated debates: Kobe Bryant (a.k.a. Black Mamba) vs. LeBron James (a.k.a. King James). While some would argue it is impossible to compare the two until they are both done with their respective careers’, there are still numbers that people can’t debate. Numbers that prove who is the best.

Personally, I am more of a Kobe fan than a LeBron fan. I thought Kobe was better at age 24, and I think he’s still better at age 34. The reason I would pick the Mamba over the King is simple: The desire to win and championship rings. Kobe Bryant has five NBA championships to LeBron’s one. Kobe has been to the NBA Finals seven times compared to LeBron James’ three appearances. The will to win is easily in favor of Kobe Bryant.

Numbers wise, every analyst would argue in favor of LeBron because he is in the peak of his career. But does LeBron do it consistently when it matters the most? The numbers say differently. Since 2006, when there is less than 24 seconds in a close game, Kobe Bryant is shooting 35% from the field. LeBron James is shooting 5% less than Kobe. Kobe’s 3 point % in those same clutch moments is at 37% while LeBron’s is at a lowly 0.077%. In this generation of NBA basketball, you are either the hero or the goat. You can have a great game but if you choke in the final moments people won’t look past that. Everyone is looking to the present day for someone to fill the shoes of one the NBA greatest players—Michael Jordan.

Another item you cannot debate between Kobe and LeBron is the fact that Kobe has 5 NBA championship rings to LeBron’s 1. In fact, in a recent interview, Michael Jordan was quoted saying who he would rather pick; Kobe or LeBron.  Jordan said, “5 [rings]  beats 1 [ring] every time I look at it. And not that James won’t get 5. He may get more than that, but 5 is bigger than 1” (ESPN.com). ‘Nuff said.

Furthermore, Kobe and LeBron squared off against each other in the 2013 NBA All-Star game. With less than 7 minutes to go, Kobe started pressuring LeBron full court. A 34-year old guarding a 28-year old in his prime 94 feet from the basket in a meaningless All-Star game? Are you kidding me? This proved that Kobe was out to prove that MJ was right. The Black Mamba blocked LeBron James twice and held him to 1 point under those last 7 minutes of play. You could tell that even Kobe was looking to prove Jordan’s argument right. I think I even saw his finger waving.

The one thing this argument is missing however is a head-to-head NBA Finals matchup. I would love to see these two stars go at one another in a 7-game series for a World Championship. More importantly however, I would love to see The Black Mamba spray his venom on LeBron James’ title hopes.