Editor's note: This piece was originally published on Aug. 24, 2016.
With Wednesday being the two-year anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers retiring Kobe Bryant's jerseys, it's worth revisiting the question of the two numbers Bryant wore during his career:
So, which Kobe was better: No. 8 or No. 24?
The Lakers cut off any debate about which of the two numbers should hang in the rafters by retiring both, but if it were only one, which one should it be?
The question of No. 8 versus No. 24 is a fascinating one because of the way it splits Bryant's 20 NBA seasons in half.
So, with the help of advanced statistics, let's consider the tale of the tape on Kobe No. 8 and Kobe No. 24.