They say comparison is the thief of joy, but sometimes you just want to see how two all-time greats stack up.
Superstar forward LeBron James is about to embark on his fourth run with USA Basketball when the 2024 Paris Olympics tip-off. Being a current Lakers star, you might wonder how his Olympic basketball career measures up with another Los Angeles legend, Kobe Bryant.
James and Bryant were co-stars on two Team USA Olympic gold medal squads — 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.
James' longevity gives him the edge in most statistical categories over Bryant, and he will only continue to pad his stats in his fourth Olympic appearance this year.
You can find a breakdown of how the two compare below.
Comparing LeBron James and Kobe Bryant's Team USA Olympics stats
Olympic appearances and gold medals
James and Bryant were teammates for two USA gold medal teams in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.
Those were Bryant's only two Olympic appearances, while James also played for Team USA when it earned bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
| LeBron James | Kobe Bryant | |
| 3 | Olympic Appearances | 2 |
| 2 | Gold Medals | 2 |
| 0 | Silver Medals | 0 |
| 1 | Bronze Medals | 0 |
LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant Olympics total stats
Even though 19-year-old James played a limited role for Team USA at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he still has an extra tournament's worth of statistics accrued to give him the edge over Bryant. James will only further his lead at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The only area Bryant has an advantage is his record, going a perfect 16-0 across two Olympic appearances.
| LeBron James | Kobe Bryant | |
| 24 | Games Played | 16 |
| 21-3 | Record | 16-0 |
| 273 | Points | 217 |
| 95 | Rebounds | 36 |
| 88 | Assists | 27 |
| 36 | Steals | 18 |
| 10 | Blocks | 4 |
| 22 | 3-Pointers | 34 |
It's worth noting that James' 88 assists are the most in USA Basketball history. He ranks second in games played to Carmelo Anthony (31) and third in points, trailing Kevin Durant (435) and Anthony (273).
If Team USA reaches the gold or bronze medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics, James will have the most games played in USA Basketball history.
LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant Olympics per game stats
James still has the edge over Bryant in most per-game Olympic stats, but Bryant has the scoring average advantage.
James' playing time (11.5 minutes per game) at the 2004 Athens Games brings down his averages.
| LeBron James | Kobe Bryant | |
| 11.4 | PPG | 13.6 |
| 4.0 | RPG | 2.3 |
| 3.7 | APG | 1.7 |
| 1.5 | SPG | 1.1 |
| 0.4 | BPG | 0.3 |