LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday last December, while six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan turns 62 next month.
Jordan appeared in 82 games with the Washington Wizards during the 2002-03 season, which turned out to be his final year in the NBA. Meanwhile, James was the top overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Although the basketball icons haven’t had the opportunity to face each other in an NBA game, James recently reflected on a time he played a game against Jordan.
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(L to R) LeBron James and Michael Jordan attend the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
James told brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce that he was a 16-year-old high school basketball star when he met Jordan in Chicago for the pickup game.
“I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all those guys,” James said during a recent appearance on Kelce Brothers; “New Summits” podcast.
LEBRON JAMES BREAKING MICHAEL JORDAN’S RECORD FOR 30-POINT GAMES WITH HIS 563rd
Travis, who is preparing to face the Houston Texans in the divisional round this weekend, finally asked James who was responsible for guarding him during the game.
“No one. I was out of control,” James replied confidently.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James admitted he initially felt some nerves when he realized he had the opportunity to face an NBA great.
“When I finally got there, I was like, ‘I’m breaking a…’. I was nervous. I was very nervous to be there with MJ and the other guys , but I was like, ‘Oh, I’m about to go crazy.’ And I did,'” James added.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known at Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, last appeared in an NBA game in 2017, but he was 20 years old at the time the aforementioned selection game took place. He recalled the moment during a May 2024 appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s “P Podcast with Paul George.”
“Everyone knew who he was. He was already famous. He was bigger than all of us in the gym,” Artest said. “So he comes to the gym and I’m like, ‘All right, cool, I want to see what he’s got.’
“And he’s cooking. He’s 15 or 16. He posts, he gets to the basket. And I’m like, ‘This is going to be a huge problem.'”
Artest added that the situation left him motivated.
“He actually motivated me. When I saw that, it motivated me. I was like, ‘I have to go to work.’ He’s coming to the championship in the kitchen. I wasn’t like that at 15.”
James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time league MVP and 20-time NBA All-Star. In his 22nd season in the league, he remains one of the best players in the NBA and is averaging 23.7 points per game this season.
The Lakers were inactive Wednesday night and return to action Thursday night when they host the Miami Heat.
