Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made a stunning admission about his relationship with Michael Jordan, the NBA legend whom he grew up idolizing and now he’s fiercest competitor in the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation.
“We don’t talk,” James said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, March 26. “Because I’m still playing. I’m still focused on my craft right now.”
James expects that to stay the same as long as he’s still actively playing and stacking his resume to compete against him.
“I think it’s because I’m still playing,” James continued. “And MJ, we all know MJ. Even if you don’t know him personally, he is one of the most ruthless competitors there is and until I’m done and he doesn’t have to look at me running up and down wearing the No. 23 and every time my name is mentioned, it’s mentioned with his, [a relationship will have to wait].”
LeBron Hopes For Kobe-Like MJ Relationship When He Retires
But James hopes that when he retires, he’ll be able to form a relationship with Jordan the same way the late Kobe Bryant did when he retired. Then it grew deeper when he joined the Lakers.
“That’s when our relationship became really, really good,” James said of Bryant. “He welcomed me. He called me, like, ‘Bro, anything you need in L.A., I got you. You’re a Laker now. You’re family.’ And we would have multiple conversations. Obviously, you guys saw him coming to a lot of games… And when I passed him for the scoring record in Philly, he had a tweet out there like, ‘Keep on going.’ Like, ‘Keep transcending the game. Keep going.’ And that s— meant so much to me.”
James admitted that he wore No. 23 because of Jordan and recalled the memorable embrace he shared with him during the unveiling of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team during the All-Star Game in 2022 in Cleveland.
“That was dope,” James said. “That’s straight respect, admiration and me, for sure, I wear 23 because of MJ. And the inspiration that he gave me as a kid in Akron, Ohio, who don’t have much inspiration in your hometown.”
LeBron on Stephen A. Smith Confrontation
James also addressed in a wide-ranging interview with McAfee about his confrontation with ESPN’s “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith.
“He’s like, on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” James sarcastically said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, March 26. “He literally started off with, ‘I didn’t want to address it. I wasn’t going to address it. But since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.’
“Are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait for the video to drop so you can address it, it’s your ass. Like, seriously. He completely missed the whole point. Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job to criticize or to be in a position where, okay, if a guy’s not performing, that is all part of the game.
“But when you take it and you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players from a lot of the media, including him, and I know he’s gonna be happy as hell. He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. Oh my God! He’s gonna get home and grab some ice cream and sit with his tiny whities on the couch.
“Relax, bro, like, relax. Like, seriously.”
James confronted Smith during the Lakers win over the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on March 6 about his critical commentary on him and his son, Bronny James.
