Why LeBron vs Kobe?

Ok, sure LeBron and Kobe are the 2 best players on the planet, but why this rivalry all of a sudden?  Yes, it's good promotion for the league, however, the 2 have never played really meaningful games against each other.  They won a gold medal together, but they've never met in the Finals, and who knows if it will ever happen.  They may never play a playoff series vs each other (depending on if LeBron bolts for another team/conference).  They're both great players, but neither dislikes each other, and last time I checked, there has to be some sort of significant games played against 2 opponents for there to be a rivalry.  Maybe they'll meet in the 2010 Finals, but for now, there is zero rivalry between LBJ and KB.