Michael Jordan served as LeBron James‘ idol growing up, but the latter hilariously explained why he cannot ever say he would like to play with the former. During a live episode of the Mind the Game podcast at the Fanatics Fest in Javits Center, James was asked to name a player from a previous era that he’d want to play with.
“When you’re talking about inspiration, there was nobody more inspiring to me than Michael Jordan,” James said. “… I think our games would’ve complemented as well. MJ was a flat-out scorer… He had a scorer’s mentality. If I had to pick him, but I know I can’t him because I know how social media works.
“You motherf****** are gonna be like, ‘Oh, you want to play with Michael Jordan, too? You played with everybody else, god damnnit,'” James stated. “I didn’t ask the question. I’m only answering it, guys. I didn’t ask the question.
“But MJ was an inspiration,” James continued. “Anthony ‘Penny’ Hardaway was an inspiration to me. Grant Hill was an inspiration to me growing up. Like that point forward. Scottie Pippen. Like that point forward guys like Penny, like Grant Hill, like Scottie. Those guys kinda inspired me because I kinda wanted to be that point forward. So, those are some guys.
“I can see the headline already, ‘LeBron wants to play with Michael Jordan,'” James added. “I see it already.”
James knows by now how every word he utters will be twisted a certain way to make him look bad. His teaming up with stars over the years is something that he has been criticized heavily for, and he doesn’t want that to be brought up again.
As for what would happen if James and Jordan were on the same team, they’d be simply unstoppable. As the Los Angeles Lakers superstar pointed out, their games are complementary.
James is always looking to give his teammates good looks, while Jordan was just a devastating scorer. In some ways, they would just be a better version of the Jordan-Pippen pairing, which won six titles together.
Pippen was a point forward like James, but he wasn’t as good as the latter in any facet of the game, apart from defense. James is a better scorer, rebounder, and playmaker than Pippen was. He and Jordan would have dismantled the NBA if they had ever teamed up.
LeBron James On His Relationship With Michael Jordan
James and Jordan have known each other for quite some time, but they don’t necessarily have a great relationship. That’s not to say there is a problem, with James stating Jordan won’t talk to him until he retires.
“So like, I think it’s ’cause I’m still playing, you know? And MJ’s, we all know MJ, even if you don’t know him personally, he’s one of the most ruthless competitors there is.”
“And ‘til I’m done, and he doesn’t have to look at me run up and down wearing the number 23, and every time my name is mentioned, it’s mentioned with his, he’s like, ‘I don’t f***ing talk to you. Don’t talk to me right now. I’m on the back nine. Do not call me.’”
James hopes that his relationship with Jordan blossoms years down the road. He brought up how he and Kobe Bryant didn’t have a great relationship at first. They only got close after Bryant retired, and here’s hoping that happens in this case as well.
