By Jake Fowler
Enough with the puppets. Enough with the vitamin water commercials. Enough with the endless Kobe vs. Lebron debate on the talking head shows and in magazines. I’m sick of it. Let’s settle this debate once and for all.
Here’s the proposal: The Black Mamba vs. The King play one-on-one at the 2010 NBA All Star game in Dallas. First player to fifteen points, ones and twos.
In order for this to ever work, one would obviously have to take some logistical considerations in account. First of all, there would have to be major cash involved, because neither player would want to take a major ego hit for free if they lost. I’m sure Nike would happily throw some money into the pot to get its two largest basketball stars onto a never-seen-before stage. The game could also be pay-per-view. 
The May 2 Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton fight drew about $50 million in the U.S. alone, and this is in a sport considered to be dying. A once-in-a-lifetime showdown, in a much more popular sport, would certainly gross more than $50 million. That’s not even taking into account the money that would trickle in globally. The All Star game this past season was broadcast in 215 countries. The NBA could definitely use a payday like this at a time when season ticket sales and merchandise purchases are declining because of the recession.
The timing may also be just perfect for this showdown to actually happen. Kobe will probably be coming off his fourth title and his first without Shaq. He will be on top of the world and his career as one of the all-time greats will be cemented. If he were to lose to Lebron, Kobe could quickly silence his doubters with a quick, gleaming flash of his knuckles. You know Kobe would play like his wife were being held hostage; and a win like this, in front of 70,000 people in a domed stadium and millions more across the world, would continue to feed Kobe’s insatiable appetite for success and his gigantic ego. 
I could also see Lebron doing it. He seems to have a flair for the dramatic and embraces the hype and the big stage. His personality would be entertaining and would play antagonist to Kobe’s cut-throat and less vivacious persona. Lebron could use the event to help him achieve the global icon status he covets. Face it: James doesn’t have much to lose. He’s still young and has many MVP seasons and championships ahead of him. Lebron’s all-around talent would also make losing a game like this less devastating. Scoring itself doesn’t define James. Even if he lost, his passing, leadership, athleticism and rebounding would be enough for many to maintain that he is the better player.
There’s no doubt in my mind the game would be close. No one is getting embarrassed here. How awesome would it be to see Kobe’s perfect fundamentals and surgeon-like precision matched up with the power and freakish athleticism of Lebron? Think of the strategy at play. Kobe trying to force Lebron away from the basket and hit mid-range J’s and Lebron trying to bully Kobe out of his comfort zone on his fadaway.
I know this is optimistic thinking on the part of a diehard basketball fan who just wishes the Lakers and Cavs would play each other in the finals already, but just dream with me. I know their games are different, and this is one-on-one, and this in no way wouldactually prove which is the better basketball player, but think of how much fun it would be. Forget the dunk contest Lebron. Get out of the stands Kobe. Come on fellas, let’s have some fun.