Even before he made it to the NBA, LeBron James was already compared to the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. His Airness made a huge impact on the league, winning six championships in eight years, dominating rivals every night, and becoming one of the best two-way players in NBA history.
During his career, and even during his retirement, many players were compared to Jordan, but nobody could live up to the expectations. LeBron James was deemed ‘The Chosen One’ when he was a teenager, and comparisons between him and MJ never stopped coming.
They have mutual respect, and the biggest proof of that came during the 2022 All-Star Game, where MJ and Bron embraced each other in Cleveland. James would post a big pic of his first and most recent encounter with Jordan, paying respect to the man that inspired him.
Just like the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has always shown his admiration for James, Jordan has done the same before. Back in 2020, during a press conference with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Milwaukee Bucks’ owner Marc Lasry, Jordan was asked about the comparisons with LeBron James ahead of the 2020 NBA Paris Game.
Jordan had nothing but good things to say about LeBron, admitting that comparisons are normal, but it’s hard to do them when you compare players from different eras (6:30).
“Is he playing? I don’t know him,” Jordan jokingly said. “I just think that we play in different eras, he’s an unbelievable player, he’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. I know there’s a natural tendency to compare eras to eras, and it’s gonna continue to happen. I’m a fan of his, I love watching him play, but as you can see, but as you can see, our league is starting to expand on very talented players, and I know he’s made his mark, he’s going to continue to do so over a period of time, but when you start the comparisons, I think it is what it is, just a standard measurement, and I take it with a grain of salt. He’s a heck of a basketball player without a doubt.”
These two are often pitted against each other in the never-ending GOAT debate, but neither player seems too worried about it, although many people side with His Airness.
They linked up when Bron was still young and Jordan gave him his phone number but never received a lot of calls from the King. They are the two best players in NBA history and regardless of how you place them, their greatness is undeniable. James has exceeded both on and off the court, just like Jordan. Both became great legends and businessmen, sharing more similarities than we think.
