LeBron James or Kobe Bryant? It seems like since Michael Jordan retired, this has been the ongoing debate around the NBA. Some say Kobe is better, while others may give LeBron James the advantage. But the reality is that there is no one specific way or stat to determine which player is better or which one of them had a better career. It should be the combination of two things, team success, and individual accomplishments.

And while Kobe Bryant holds the advantage in the team success category with five championship rings, LeBron James' individual stats give him the obvious advantage individually over Bryant.

Michael Jordan was asked about the comparison between James and Bryant during his Flight School camp in California last week. He picked Bryant over James and the reason was Bryant's five championships in comparison to LeBron's three NBA titles. The news about these Jordan's comments went viral quickly, and this week another NBA player weighed in on this debate.

Lonzo surprises the basketball world with his comments

The Los Angeles Lakers picked Lonzo Ball as the second overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. Ball had a great college career playing for the UCLA Bruins as he averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. The Lakers drafted the 19-year-old, 6-foot-6 point guard hoping that he can be the face of the franchise for many years to come.

He already proved that he can play, and this week he also showed that he's not afraid to make bold statements.

Lonzo was asked to weigh in on the ongoing LeBron James vs Kobe Bryant debate, and his answer surprised many: "My favorite player was LeBron growing up. It's tough. I'm a Laker, I wanna go with Kobe, but I've been saying LeBron my whole life so I'm gonna go with LeBron." It is hard to imagine that a player in Lakers uniform would pick LeBron over Kobe, especially a guy like Lonzo Ball that grew up in California as a Laker fan.

But if you've been following the NBA carefully over the past few months, you might realize that there is a bigger picture behind Lonzo's comments.

Ball recruiting James to Los Angeles?

LeBron James has one year left on his contract with the Cavaliers, and he will likely become a free-agent next summer.

With all the rumors about Kyrie Irving's potential departure from Cleveland and all of the negativity surrounding the Cavs these days, LeBron James could also be on his way out of Cleveland.

James owns a home in Los Angeles and has a close personal relationship with Magic Johnson - president of basketball operations for the Lakers. Lonzo Ball's most recent comments about LeBron James and the comparison between him and Kobe Bryant could just be another way of recruiting LeBron to Los Angeles. Truth to be told, LeBron and Lonzo playing together would be an interesting, dynamic combination to see.
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