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Reading: Michael Jordan’s Hilarious Reason For Not Talking To Teen LeBron James In 2003: “I Don’t Want To Be Tampering.”
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Michael Jordan’s Hilarious Reason For Not Talking To Teen LeBron James In 2003: “I Don’t Want To Be Tampering.”

Michael Jordan’s Hilarious Reason For Not Talking To Teen LeBron James In 2003: “I Don’t Want To Be Tampering.”

Michael Jordan once hilariously stated that he couldn't talk to a teen LeBron James because it would be tampering.

Gautam Varier
Apr 9, 2023
3 Min Read
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Credit: Fadeaway World

The relationship between Michael Jordan and LeBron James has been under the microscope for seemingly forever now.

When LeBron was turning into a nationwide sensation as a teenager, there was some talk of Jordan not being particularly fond of him, but that wasn’t the case. After his last game in Cleveland in 2003, MJ embraced LeBron and hilariously revealed why he can’t speak to him. 

“Jordan’s true feelings for LeBron were on display again in a Gund Arena hallway Tuesday night after MJ played his last game in Cleveland,” wrote Marc Stein for ESPN. “Jordan approached the youngster, gave him a hearty hug and then whispered some advice. Jordan then backed off and loudly announced: ‘I can’t be talking to you. I don’t want to be tampering.'”

MJ hadn’t resumed his role as Director of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards so it technically wouldn’t have been tampering anyway. The reason why it was thought that Jordan wasn’t a fan of LeBron was due to the fact that he had publically taken what many perceived as jabs at LeBron back then.

It was probably just Jordan’s way of making sure that the teenager didn’t get too full of himself. MJ had invited LeBron to some private pickup games in Chicago prior to this and he wouldn’t have done that if he had issues with him.


LeBron James Spoke About Meeting Michael Jordan For The First Time

LeBron idolized Jordan growing up and vividly remembers the first time he met him. During his junior year in high school, James went to a gym called Hoops in Chicago and that was where he first crossed paths with his idol. LeBron was awestruck and stated that it felt as if Jordan was walking on air. MJ told him then, to keep working on his game so that he can someday make it to the NBA.

Safe to say LeBron took that advice seriously and he also took in a lot of knowledge by watching Jordan play. He once revealed the one thing he learned from Jordan was how to make his team so much better. All of that has undoubtedly helped LeBron get to where he is at this point, which is vying for the title of GOAT with his idol.

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ByGautam Varier
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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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