In the ranks of rising star players, Dončić is undoubtedly the most dazzling one. This 25-year-old white player led the Mavericks to the finals last season and has been selected for the best first team for four consecutive years. In the eyes of many media and fans, Dončić's current performance is not inferior to that of James and Bryant at the same age. So is this really the case? Let's take a comprehensive look at personal data, team achievements, and honors to see who is better.
Dončić
Due to a leg injury, 25-year-old Dončić has only played 22 games this season, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of 46.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 35.4%, and free throw percentage of 76.7%. In terms of team achievements, Dončić has led the Mavericks to the playoffs four times since entering the league, including one finals appearance. In terms of honors, Dončić has been selected for the best first team for four consecutive years, won the scoring title once, been selected for the All-Star team five times, won the Western Conference Finals MVP once, and was named Rookie of the Year once.
James
In the 2009-10 season, 25-year-old James played 76 regular-season games, averaging a comprehensive stat line of 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block, with a shooting percentage of 50.3%, three-point shooting percentage of 33.3%, and free throw percentage of 76.7%, leading the Cavaliers to the best record in the league. With his nearly perfect individual performance and team record, James eventually edged out Kobe to win the regular-season MVP for the second time, and was also selected for the first team and defensive first team.
In terms of team achievements, James had led his team to the playoffs five times by the age of 25, including one finals appearance. In terms of personal honors, he had won the MVP twice, the scoring title once, been selected for the best first team four times, the second team twice, the defensive first team twice, the All-Star Game MVP twice, and was named Rookie of the Year once.
Kobe
In the 2003-04 season, Kobe played 65 regular-season games, averaging 24 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.7 steals, with a shooting percentage of 43.8%, three-point shooting percentage of 32.7%, and free throw percentage of 85.2%. Despite being plagued by the "Eagle County incident" at the time, Kobe was still selected for the first team and defensive first team, and helped the Lakers reach the finals again.
In terms of personal honors and team achievements, 24-year-old Kobe had been selected for the first team three times, the second team twice, the third team once, the defensive first team three times, the second team twice, and had been an All-Star six times. At that time, although O'Neal was the leader of the Lakers, Kobe, as the absolute core on the perimeter, helped the team reach the playoffs eight times, enter the finals four times, and win three championships.
In comparison, at the same stage of 25 years old, Dončić's personal statistics are not inferior to James and Kobe, but there is obviously a certain gap in terms of team achievements and personal honors. Of course, this does not mean that Dončić is not excellent, but rather that the objects he is compared to are too outstanding.