Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade | An in-depth statistical dive into two all-time great shooting guards' numbers
Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are considered to be the second and third greatest shooting guards in NBA history. Both have won championships multiple times and were amazing on both ends of the floor.
The two all-time greats played 20 games against each other. Wade was victorious 11 times, while the five-time NBA champion won the other nine.
Offense comparison
Although both were amazing scorers, Bryanr was more consistent from long range, while the Miami Heat guard relied on his slashing ability. In their games against each other, Bryant averaged 26.1 points on 43.6% shooting, while Wade scored 24.3 ppg while making 45.5% of his shots.
When it comes to keeping teammates involved, the LA Lakers superstar averaged 4.7 assists. Wade, on the other hand, was better with 6.5 per game.
Kobe outscored Dwyane in 11 games, but Wade had more assists in 12 games to Kobe's six.
Furthermore, Bryant's scoring record in these games was 42 points in an overtime loss against the Heat in 2004. Wade scored his best 40 points in 2006 on Christmas Day.
Defense comparison
Besides their incredible scoring, both Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade were also fantastic defenders who made All-Defensive teams in multiple seasons.
In their head-to-head contests, Bryant averaged 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks. Wade, standing at only 6-foot-4, blocked 1.1 shots per game, which was impressive. He also averaged 1.9 steals.
Wade had more steals than Bryant in 11 games, and he even had four games with four steals. Furthermore, the Miami Heat guard had four blocks in one of these games, while Bryant's best total in blocks against Wade was two.
However, as amazing as D-Wade was, he couldn't stop "Black Mamba" from making a game-winning 3-pointer in 2009.
Less important stats
Since both were shooting guards, their rebounding numbers did not matter much. In the early stages of his career, shaquille-o-neal-first-impression-dwyane-wade" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Wade played alongside Shaquille O'Neal, who was a fantastic rebounder. Later on, there was Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and others.
On the other side, Bryant also played with Shaq, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, among many other great rebounders.
In their head-to-head games, Wade and Bryant averaged 4.6 and 4.1 rebounds respectively. Furthermore, they both had 10-rebound games against each other.
Neither was great with their 3-point shooting. Bryant made 30.2% of his long-range shots, while Wade was successful on only 27.3%.
Wade vs. Bryant in the playoffs
Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant never had a chance to meet in the playoffs. Many NBA fans were hoping Bryant would play against Wade on the biggest stage of the game, especially during the Big Three era in Miami.
Jayson Tatum is 1 of 4 players in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals averaging 25/5/5 before turning 25. https://t.co/Pp0w1JhEgk
An NBA Finals between the two would have been incredible. After all, both Wade and Bryant were very competitive and were spectacular in big games.