Is Stephen Curry Better than Kobe Bryant Was?

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MVP Seasons

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30, left) dribbles the basketball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Here’s a comparison of Stephen Curry’s and Kobe Bryant’s MVP seasons.

Bryant won his first and only MVP after 12 seasons at the age of 29. Curry is the reigning MVP, beating out James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James in his sixth season at the age of 27.

In fairness to the Laker legend, his career numbers include his lackluster, injury-ridduled end of his career. Let’s narrow it down a bit and take a look at their MVP seasons.

Stephen Curry /

Again, Bryant takes points and rebounds, according to traditional stats. Curry has him beat in every other category, with a significant difference in shooting and three-point percentages.

But he did play over six minutes more per game than Curry did. Looking at their stats per 36 minutes shows that they scored at the same rate throughout their first MVP seasons, dropping 26.2 points per 36. Both Curry’s ORtg and DRtg were better, showing that he produced more and conceded less per 100 possessions.

Stephen Curry /

Advanced stats favor Curry once again, highlighted by the PER and WS/48.

Bryant’s true shooting percentage was an incredible 57.6 percent, but Curry’s was off the charts at 63.8 percent.

One of the biggest factors in securing a Most Valuable Player award is team performance. Both Bryant and Curry led their teams to the top seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors finished 67-15 while the Los Angeles Lakers went 57-25, finishing second overall behind the Boston Celtics. The Warriors’ had a higher DRtg, but the Lakers’ offense was slightly better.

Looking at the numbers and team performance, Curry’s MVP was better than Bryant’s.

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