NBA Champ Says LeBron James Is Slightly Better Than Kawhi Leonard

A Raptors legend and a two-time NBA champion has claimed that LeBron James is still slightly better than Kawhi Leonard.

Retired NBA star Chris Bosh wasn’t only just a former Toronto Raptor like Leonard and a former Miami Heat like James. Aside from playing for the old teams of both NBA superstars, Bosh was also one of those who played side-by-side with James during the peak of The King’s career.

In his exclusive interview with Complex, Bosh ranked his top 10 best NBA players today. According to the legendary forward, James and Leonard are the top two players in the league. He also emphasized that it doesn’t really matter who sits on the no. 1 spot between the two. However, Bosh is convinced that James is still the most talented player in the NBA despite his age.

“It don’t really matter but yeah,” Bosh answered when asked if James tops Leonard in his list.

“If you’re still asking if he’s the best player and his 35 years old, then he he’s the best player,” Bosh said about James.

“Cause he’s gonna be rejuvenated. I think (he) has a very complete team,” Bosh continued.

Statistically, James and Leonard don’t really have too much differences. However, Leonard had defeated James 13 times in 21 meetings, winning six of nine regular-season games and seven of twelve postseason matchups since 2012.

But James has a bit of a scoring edge, outscoring Leonard in both the regular and postseason. James also is more likely to get the assist, averaging nearly four more helpers per game when the two square off. Leonard, meanwhile, is more likely to sink his free throws, making 83 percent of his attempts compared to just 70 percent for James during the regular season.

Both players are also identical in terms of playing timer averaging just over 36 minutes on the court during the regular season. In the playoffs, James does have a slight edge minutes-wise on Leonard averaging nearly five minutes more on the court.

In terms of 3-point shooting, the pair has put up almost the same numbers as well. Leonard has completed 34 percent of his 3-point attempts during the regular season, while James has made 36.1 percent. During the postseason, the reigning NBA Finals MVP finished 45.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, compared to James’ 42.6 percent.

On top of this, the two nearly have similar numbers for rebounds, steals and blocks in all games against one another.