Who was better in their prime, Kobe or Wade?

[mehyaM24]

01-10 kobe vs 05-13 wade. who was the better player?

also who would you rather build around?

[RRR3]

Lmao at Wade being in his prime in 13. Also you don’t exit and reenter your prime. It should be 01-13 Kobe or 01-10.

[mehyaM24]

Lmao at Wade being in his prime in 13.

what's so funny? i thought he was still in his prime, and played like it during miami's 27 game win streak (23/6/6/2/1 on 53%FG). maybe not so much in the playoffs though.

[And1AllDay]

what's so funny? i thought he was still in his prime, and played like it during miami's 27 game win streak (23/6/6/2/1 on 53%FG). maybe not so much in the playoffs though.

13' wade was in the top 5 lowest ppg for a playoff championship run for #2 option

top 5 lowest ever

[mehyaM24]

13' wade was in the top 5 lowest ppg for a playoff championship run for #2 option

top 5 lowest ever

yep in the playoffs, lebron did a lot of heavy-lifting. before wade's knees were busted up though, he was having a prime-like season. checkout the numbers i referenced. if you guys think wade was best from 05-12 that's fine. do you believe that version was better than prime kobe?

[dankok8]

Peak Kobe vs. peak Wade is very close but I'd take Kobe by a smidge. Wade's injuries just made him unreliable. Kobe had 7-8 seasons close to his best. Wade had like 4-5.

[SouBeachTalents]

It's excruciatingly close, I'd say Wade's '06 playoffs & '09 season were slightly better than Kobe's best

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Can't go wrong with either of them. I'd probably roll with Wade because of his defense, but not totally convinced either.

Since peak MJ 2009 Wade is the greatest SG I have seen.

[mehyaM24]

Peak Kobe vs. peak Wade is very close but I'd take Kobe by a smidge. Wade's injuries just made him unreliable. Kobe had 7-8 seasons close to his best. Wade had like 4-5.

wade went through a lot of peaks and valleys. he was super athletic in 05, 06 & even 07 before his injury. looked hobbled all year in 08 and then exploded again in 09. was lowkey in the 10 regular-season (still elite obviously) and then went ham in the playoffs. 11 & 12 were obviously solid too. he fell off considerably in the 13 playoffs.

[HALLandOATES]

D Wade career wise to>>

[3ball]

Wade out-produced Kobe but I'd rather build around Kobe because his elite jumpshooting skill allowed the best strategy (ball movement) and better fits with teammates, which allowed elite team ceilings/Finals records

This is proven by Kobe winning 2 chips with just Gasol, while Wade needed Shaq, Lebron, Bosh and Alonzo

However, if Lebron doesn't choke in 2011, Wade would have 2 FMVP and 4 rings, which would put him borderline top 10 along with Kobe

[Micku]

It's pretty close.

Kobe with prime probably. He was less injury prone, so more consistent, and had more ways to hurt you. I think he would do better at adjusting to play styles than Wade because Wade would need the ball to be effective. Kobe needs it too, but not as much.

But I think I'll pick Wade at his peak.

Ppl do mention 2013. Wade was playing great in the RS. But he got injured before the playoffs and was playing on one leg. 2012 too, but not as bad.

Kobe just had more seasons where he was elite than Wade. Prime for prime, Kobe.

But at their peak, Wade. But it isn't a big enough gap or me to say I would take Wade over Kobe with prime to prime. Peak vs peak, you can flip a coin I think

[mehyaM24]

Wade out-produced Kobe but I'd rather build around Kobe because his elite jumpshooting skill allowed the best strategy (ball movement) and better fits with teammates, which allowed elite team ceilings/Finals records

This is proven by Kobe winning 2 chips with just Gasol, while Wade needed Shaq, Lebron, Bosh and Alonzo

However, if Lebron doesn't choke in 2011, Wade would have 2 FMVP and 4 rings, which would put him borderline top 10 along with Kobe

lebron sabotaged the hell out of wade lol. with that fmvp, dwyane would definitely be argued as 2nd goat sg.

[HALLandOATES]

People forget Wade got hurt in GAME 6 ECF they were up 3-2 when they were on there way to a championship in 2005(before the 2006 run)

He’s a hair away from having a 2005 and 2011 Finals MVPs .If history went how it was so close to going we very very close to saying wades name in top 4-5 all time .

[ImKobe]

People forget Wade got hurt in GAME 6 ECF they were up 3-2 when they were on there way to a championship in 2005(before the 2006 run)

He’s a hair away from having a 2005 and 2011 Finals MVPs .If history went how it was so close to going we very very close to saying wades name in top 4-5 all time .

Kobe has a plenty of what-ifs in his career as well. I don't think any other superstar who had a career as consistent and long as him dealt with as many injuries. It seemed like he needed shoulder/knee surgery every other season in his prime and obviously the achilles injury cut short a season where the Lakers were primed to upset the Spurs in the 2013 Playoffs with the hot streak they were on. His peak years were also wasted with the worst supporting cast in the league, and went to 3 straight Finals & won 2 as soon as he got one all-star caliber player while Wade only won 2 rings with peak Lebron and prime Bosh. Kobe has 6 rings if the CP3 trade doesn't get vetoed. Their careers were very similar in a lot of ways but Kobe made more out of his situation.

[tpols]

Ill just say this... If prime Kobe ever played with LeBron he'd have a hell of a lot more than 2 rings to show for it. They would wreck the league.

[LAL]

Kobe was must watch TV on a whole different level. For a reason.

[beasted]

Ill just say this... If prime Kobe ever played with LeBron he'd have a hell of a lot more than 2 rings to show for it. They would wreck the league.

That's a flawed argument because we have a real world comparison rather than imaginary: Wade did more with an aging Shaq. Kobe lost them 2004, while Wade carried them to a title in 2006. Nobody knows what would have happened for sure.

All that said, it's close but Kobe was slightly better.

[tpols]

That's a flawed argument because we have a real world comparison rather than imaginary: Wade did more with an aging Shaq. Kobe lost them 2004, while Wade carried them to a title in 2006. Nobody knows what would have happened for sure.

All that said, it's close but Kobe was slightly better.

How did Wade do more with an aging Shaq? He won one ring under very dubious circumstances against an opponent whose 2nd option was Jason Terry. Shaq was 2nd in MVP voting in 2005, higher than Wade. And Kobe won 3x more with him in a tougher conference.


There's just no way a prime '06-'10 Kobe, which lines up with late prime Wade, would squeak by with 1-2 rings playing with peak Lebron and Bosh and Battier and Birdman and Mike Miller and Ray etc. Kobe led a repeat champion with just Pau and Odom, who used to lose out on All NBA selections to Bosh in the mid 2000s. Now you add ducking LeBron what do you think they do? Wade didn't have the jumper to coexist with LeBron and he definitely didn't have the crunch time production of peak late prime Kobe. 82games.com shows that.

[Jasper]

Wade carried his team as the only star for years w/the Heat. They were cheap.

Kobe has always played with at least 1-2 stars throughout his career lmao

[Jasper]

Ill just say this... If prime Kobe ever played with LeBron he'd have a hell of a lot more than 2 rings to show for it. They would wreck the league.

Shaq and Kobe would of played for 6+ years (shaq was not getting charges at his prime , cause they (the nba) was waxing the Lakers)
they would of had 6 or more rings(.)

[HoopsNY]

Peak Wade and peak Kobe were close, yet you have some people thinking Pippen and Wade are close. :lol

And the all-time rankings put Pippen above Wade. :lol

As for who I would choose, then it would be Kobe. Kobe was a better on the ball defender and leader. Winning 65 games with Gasol as his running mate was impressive. He also won an MVP and 2 FMVPs.

[HoopsNY]

Wade carried his team as the only star for years w/the Heat. They were cheap.

Kobe has always played with at least 1-2 stars throughout his career lmao

Well he didn't from 2005-07. It was similar to Wade from 2007-10. And I'd say Kobe's cast was worse than Wade's, and he played in a better conference.

[ImKobe]

Well he didn't from 2005-07. It was similar to Wade from 2007-10. And I'd say Kobe's cast was worse than Wade's, and he played in a better conference.

Yup, and Kobe had the Lakers at 30 - 16 prior to Gasol playing a single game in '08 (53-win pace) with Walton, Kwame n Turiaf starting games for them.

[Spain_]

Kobe but it's closer than people think.
Prime Wade was one of the best players ever.

[mehyaM24]

How did Wade do more with an aging Shaq? He won one ring under very dubious circumstances against an opponent whose 2nd option was Jason Terry. Shaq was 2nd in MVP voting in 2005, higher than Wade. And Kobe won 3x more with him in a tougher conference.


There's just no way a prime '06-'10 Kobe, which lines up with late prime Wade, would squeak by with 1-2 rings playing with peak Lebron and Bosh and Battier and Birdman and Mike Miller and Ray etc. Kobe led a repeat champion with just Pau and Odom, who used to lose out on All NBA selections to Bosh in the mid 2000s. Now you add ducking LeBron what do you think they do? Wade didn't have the jumper to coexist with LeBron and he definitely didn't have the crunch time production of peak late prime Kobe. 82games.com shows that.

bullshit. kobe lost with prime shaq in 2003 & 2004. moreover, the heat would've had a great opportunity to 2-peat if wade played in game 7 (ecf). wade carried in the 06 finals though and shaq put up gasol-lite numbers. but again, for the bulk of wade's prime, he never got to play with someone as dominant as prime shaq.

only reason the heatles didn't 3-peat is because of lebron's 11 finals. that ring gives wade 4 in total along with 2 fmvps - which is absolutely comparable to kobe.


Peak Wade and peak Kobe were close, yet you have some people thinking Pippen and Wade are close. :lol

And the all-time rankings put Pippen above Wade. :lol

As for who I would choose, then it would be Kobe. Kobe was a better on the ball defender and leader. Winning 65 games with Gasol as his running mate was impressive. He also won an MVP and 2 FMVPs.

funny how that works lol. i think pippen & wade are "close" all-time because most value team achievements (pippen has 6 titles vs wade's 3). prime for prime however there is a hierarchy, and wade was clearly better.

[HoopsNY]

bullshit. kobe lost with prime shaq in 2003 & 2004. moreover, the heat would've had a great opportunity to 2-peat if wade played in game 7 (ecf). wade carried in the 06 finals though and shaq put up gasol-lite numbers. but again, for the bulk of wade's prime, he never got to play with someone as dominant as prime shaq.

only reason the heatles didn't 3-peat is because of lebron's 11 finals. that ring gives wade 4 in total along with 2 fmvps - which is absolutely comparable to kobe.



funny how that works lol. i think pippen & wade are "close" all-time because most value team achievements (pippen has 6 titles vs wade's 3). prime for prime however there is a hierarchy, and wade was clearly better.

Yea I get it, but the push back we got on the other thread was ridiculous. Meanwhile, people are torn between Kobe and Wade in their peaks, and our discussion was peak Wade and Pippen. :lol

Just look at the poll's results. It says it all. If peak Wade and peak Kobe were in fact this close, then what about rookie Wade and rookie Kobe? What about later years (Kobe 2014-17) and Wade (2016-19)?

Again, Kobe > Wade. But it's just funny because these same guys shilling Pippen wouldn't think to compare him with Kobe, yet Wade does and did.

[bizil]

U GOTTA go Mamba because he could PRETTY MUCH DO everything Wade could do on the court. BUT D Wade couldn't do ALL THE THINGS Kobe could do in terms of scoring skillset CONSISTENTLY. Wade was the better passer, just as athletic or more, and just as strong physically. And he's a more efficient scorer. But the four SG's I've seen peak wise IN REAL TIME are MJ, Kobe, Wade, and T Mac. MJ HANDS DOWN the best. After that, don't think there's a huge gap at all between Kobe, Wade, and Mac. But I would roll with Kobe if I had to choose. And for players 6'4 and under, Wade is the best peak wise in my opinion.