Lakers’ LeBron James recalls being ‘unguarded’ when competing against Michael Jordan as a teenager
LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday last December, a six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan he 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 pick in the 2003 NBA draft.
Although the basketball icons didn’t get a chance to go head-to-head during an NBA game, James recently reflected on the time he played a game with Jordan.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS REPORTS ON FOXNEWS.COM
(L-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 the brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce that he was a 16-year-old high school basketball star when he met Jordan in Chicago at a pickup game.
“I’ve been on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all those guys,” James said during a recent appearance on the Kelce Brothers; “New heights” podcast.
LEBRON JAMES BREAKS MICHAEL JORDAN’S 30-POINT GAME RECORD WITH HIS 563.
Travis, who is preparing to compete against Houston Texans in the divisional round this weekend, he eventually asked James who was guarding him during the game.
“No one. I was off guard,” James replied confidently.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half in Game 4 of basketball’s first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James admitted that he was a little nervous at first when he realized he had the chance to play against the NBA greats.
“When I finally came out, I was like, ‘Haha…’. I was nervous as hell, because I was there with MJ and the others, but I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go crazy’. And I was,” he added James.
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 as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, last appeared in an NBA game in 2017, but was 20 years old at the time of the aforementioned draft game. He recalled the moment during a May 2024 appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s show “Podcast P with Paul George.”
“Everybody knew who he was. He was already famous. He was bigger than all of us in the gym,” Artest said. “He came to 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’s posting, he’s getting to the basket. And I’m saying, ‘This is going to be a big problem’.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Artest added that the situation motivated him.
“He actually motivated me. When I saw that, it motivated me. I said, ‘I have to go to work.’ He comes into the league cooking. 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 quiet on Wednesday night and will be back in action on Thursday night when they host Miami Heat.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports broadcast on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
