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Kobe Bryant is one of the most dangerous scorers in the history of basketball. The 37-year old is no longer the player he once was, but in his prime he was lethal, and ranks as the third leading scorer in NBA history with 33,207 points. He also owns the record for the second-highest scoring game ever, with his 81 point performance against the Toronto Raptors ranking only behind Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100 point game.
But according to former teammate Robert Horry, even Bryant's peaks weren't quite as impressive as the nightly net scorchings committed by the reigning MVP, and current favorite for the 2016 award, Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors' star is currently leading the league in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game and 6.5 assists, and Horry told Justin Termine on SiriusXM NBA Radio during an interview on Thursday that he thinks Curry is the more dangerous player to guard (h/t Hoops Hype for catching this, and for the transcription):
"Kobe in his prime really wasn't that great of a three-point shooter," Horry said. "He was a drive, get-to-the-hole, dunk-on-you type of guy. Steph can drive and float you. He can shoot it from half court. You have to guard him at all times."
Bryant's most impressive offensive season was in 2005-06, when he scored 35.4 points per game, but when you compare the two seasons per-36 minutes, it's hard not to agree with Horry. Per Basketball Reference, Curry averaged more points, assists, and three-pointers while shooting a higher percentage from the field, on three-pointers, and on free-throws. Bryant averaged more free-throw attempts and lower turnovers, though:
However, when looking at their teammates at that time, it's hard to not think that at least some of the reason Curry is able to be so thoroughly dominant is because he shares the floor with players like Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala instead of Lamar Odom, Smush Parker, and Kwame Brown. Still the averages are close, and ultimately everyone is entitled to their opinion.