LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday last December, while being a six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan He turns 62 next month.
Jordan played in 82 games with the Washington Wizards during the 2002–03 season, which was his final year. NBA. Meanwhile, James was the high overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Although the basketball icons haven't had the opportunity to go head-to-head during an NBA game, James recently spoke about the time he played pickup with Jordan.
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(LR) 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 said to the brothers Travis Kelsey And Jason Kelce said he was a 16-year-old high school basketball star when he met Jordan in Chicago at a pick-up game.
“I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all those guys,” James said during his final appearance on the Kelce Brothers. “New heights“Podcast.
LeBron James breaks Michael Jordan's record for 30-point games with his 563RD
Travis who is preparing to compete against houston texas In the divisional round this weekend, James finally asked who was responsible for guarding him during the game.
“Nobody. You were unguardable,” James answered confidently.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half of Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrell)
James admitted he felt a little nervous at first when he realized he had the opportunity to face an NBA superstar.
“When I finally got out of there, I was like, 'I'm a clumsy–'. I was so nervous, being in there with MJ and the rest of those guys, but I was like, 'Oh, I'm about to go crazy,'” James added.
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James celebrates a 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, last appeared in an NBA game in 2017, but he was 20 years old during the time the aforementioned pick-and-roll game took place. He recalls the moment during a May 2024 appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George'P podcast with Paul George“.
“Everyone knew who he was. He was really famous. He was bigger than all of us in the gym,” Artest said. “He came into the gym, and I said, ‘Okay, great, I want to see what he’s got.
“And he's cooking. He's 15 or 16 years old. He posts and gets to the basket. And I'm like, 'This is going to be a big deal.'
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Artest added that the situation left him motivated.
“It really motivated me. When I saw that, it motivated me. I was like, 'I've got to go to work.' He's coming into the league cooking, and I wasn't like that when I was 15.”
James is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time league MVP, and a 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 idle on Wednesday night and will return to action Thursday night when they host Miami Heat.
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