Whenever someone mentions the best players to ever step foot on the NBA court, one cannot leave the names of Michael Jordan and LeBron James off the list. While the former is considered the GOAT of the NBA, the latter has been considered the biggest threat to MJ’s throne.
Although the two players have never played against each other in the league, fans have always believed that there is an unspoken rivalry between the two. It further bolstered their case with MJ’s claim of how he will stop 2013 LeBron James in his tracks after studying his game.
But James and Jordan shared a heartfelt moment during the NBA Top 75 ceremony held during the 2022 NBA All-Star weekend. Keeping that moment in mind, it is safe to assume that the two superstars have mutual respect for each other.
However, during a recent episode of ‘The Ringers NBA Show,’ NBA insider Jackie MacMullan revealed some unheard details about an early encounter between Mike and LBJ.
Via Sportskeeda:
“Here’s my number. If you need anything, just call,” said Jordan as per MacMullan. “And guess what? LeBron never did. But we can’t hold that against him; he’s probably more like Jordan than he is Dr. J (Julius Erving).”
While MacMullan made this sound like it was a big deal that LBJ didn’t call Mike and made it sound like it was some sort of a shot at the Chicago Bulls legend, it’s very unlikely that’s the case.
As he himself mentioned, MJ told LeBron to call him in case he needs everything. So if James never felt a need to ask something from Mike, that could explain why he never called him.
Moreover, knowing that the two share one of the biggest rivalries in NBA history, it wouldn’t have made any sense if LeBron asked for some advice from Jordan. In fact, Mike would have done something similar if it was the other way around.
Hopefully, this revelation by MacMullan doesn’t make the relationship between James and Mike any more bitter than it needs to be. After all, fans finally saw the two NBA superstars have a great moment at the NBA Top 75 event and they wouldn’t want anything to ruin that.
