You’ve seen the thumbnail. It’s usually grainy, high-contrast, and plastered with red arrows. The title usually screams something about LeBron James ending Kobe Bryant’s career with a single play. If you spend any time on the "NBA Twitter" side of the internet, you’ve probably been led to believe there’s a lost tape of a monster poster.
But here is the thing: it didn't happen. Not like that.
Honestly, the "LeBron dunking on Kobe" myth is one of the most fascinating examples of how our collective sports memory works. We want it to exist. We feel like it should exist. They were the two biggest icons of the 2000s and 2010s. They shared the court 22 times in the regular season. Yet, if you’re looking for a soul-snatching, Vince Carter-over-Frederic Weis style poster, you’re going to be searching for a long time.
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Why We All Think LeBron Dunked on Kobe
Basketball fans have a funny way of merging different memories together. Basically, we’ve seen LeBron James steamroll through the entire league for two decades. We’ve seen Kobe Bryant play some of the most tenacious perimeter defense in history. Our brains just assume those two forces collided at the rim in a way that resulted in a viral highlight.
The closest we actually get to this "legendary" moment usually falls into three categories:
- The All-Star Game Flashes: In the 2016 All-Star Game, LeBron and Kobe had a few "one-on-one" moments that felt like a passing of the torch. LeBron had a breakaway dunk where Kobe was trailing, but it wasn't a "poster."
- The 2020 Tribute Dunk: This is the one that actually went viral for the right reasons. After Kobe’s passing, LeBron threw down a breakaway reverse windmill against the Houston Rockets. It was a mirror image of a dunk Kobe did 19 years prior on the same basket. It wasn't LeBron dunking on Kobe, but it was LeBron dunking for him.
- The 2013 Block: If we’re being real, the most famous "at the rim" encounter between them actually went the other way. In the 2013 All-Star Game, Kobe famously blocked LeBron twice in the final minutes.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Twenty-two games. Hundreds of possessions. Zero posters.
The Reality of the LeBron vs. Kobe Matchup
To understand why a LeBron dunking on Kobe moment is so rare, you have to look at how they actually played each other. Most people get this wrong. They think it was a 48-minute game of one-on-one.
It wasn't.
In those 22 regular-season matchups, LeBron usually came out on top, winning 16 of those games. LeBron averaged 28.2 points; Kobe averaged 24.6. But because LeBron was a small forward and Kobe was a shooting guard, they didn't always guard each other. When they did, it was a chess match, not a demolition derby.
Kobe was a "sag-off-and-dare-you-to-shoot" defender against young LeBron. LeBron was a "free-safety" defender who would rather hunt a chase-down block on a teammate's man than get caught in a screen-and-roll with Kobe. They respected each other too much to get caught in a vulnerable position.
The Famous Almost-Moments
There’s a clip from 2008 where LeBron drives the lane and Kobe is right there. The crowd gasps. The camera flashes go off. LeBron opts for a layup.
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Why? Because Kobe was a master of the "verticality" rule before it was even a thing. He knew how to contest without being a victim. On the flip side, LeBron’s IQ is too high. He isn't going to force a dunk through a 5-time champion if a teammate is open in the corner.
The All-Star Game "Poster" That Wasn't
If you search YouTube for LeBron dunking on Kobe, the top result is often a clip from an exhibition game or a practice session. Or, more likely, it's a clickbait edit.
There is one specific play in the 2016 All-Star Game where LeBron dunks and Kobe is in the frame. People call it a "poster," but that’s a reach. Kobe was 37. He was basically waving LeBron through for the fans. It was a "legacy" moment, not a "disrespect" moment.
In the 2012 All-Star Game, things actually got heated. Kobe was hounding LeBron, telling him to "shoot the f***ing ball" in the closing seconds. LeBron didn't. He passed. That’s the dynamic. Kobe wanted the smoke; LeBron wanted the right play.
What This Says About NBA Legacies
We live in a "poster" culture. We want to see a definitive winner and a definitive loser in every highlight. But the LeBron and Kobe rivalry was never about that. It was about two completely different philosophies of basketball.
Kobe was the "assassin." He wanted to beat you mentally and physically on every single possession. LeBron is the "director." He wants to control the flow of the entire game. You can't really "posterize" a director, because he's already seen the play unfolding three seconds before it happens.
The lack of a definitive LeBron dunking on Kobe clip doesn't take away from either of them. If anything, it makes those 22 games more special. It shows that neither was ever truly "gotten" by the other. They were two masters of the craft who operated on a level where they couldn't be embarrassed.
How to Spot Fake Highlights
If you're still hunting for that one clip, keep these things in mind so you don't get tricked by the AI-generated or heavily edited garbage floating around TikTok:
- Check the Jerseys: If LeBron is in a Lakers jersey and Kobe is in a Lakers jersey, it's a practice clip or a video game. They never played against each other while on the same team (obviously).
- Look at the Scoreboard: A lot of "LeBron dunks on Kobe" videos are actually LeBron dunking on Trevor Ariza or Pau Gasol with Kobe standing nearby.
- The "Puppets" Era: Remember the Nike commercials? Those puppets are the closest we ever got to seeing them constantly go at it. That marketing campaign worked so well that it actually planted fake memories of dunks in our heads.
What Really Matters
Instead of looking for a dunk that doesn't exist, look at the 2013 All-Star highlights. Look at the Christmas Day games where they traded buckets for four quarters. Look at the way they hugged after Kobe’s final game in Cleveland.
The "poster" is a cheap thrill. The 13-year chess match they played across the league was the real highlight.
If you want to dive deeper into what actually happened between these two, stop watching the 10-second "LeBron dunking on Kobe" clips and start watching the full 2009 Christmas Day game. LeBron had 26, 9, and 4. Kobe had 35 and 10. No posters. Just two of the greatest to ever do it, refusing to give an inch.
Your Next Steps for Real NBA Knowledge:
- Watch the 2013 All-Star Game fourth quarter to see the best defensive battle they ever had.
- Search for "LeBron Kobe 2020 Tribute Dunk" to see the most emotional connection between their playing styles.
- Ignore any video that claims to have "banned footage" of a LeBron poster on Kobe; it’s just 2026 clickbait.