“No question I would beat LeBron James 1v1!”: $1.7 billion worth Michael Jordan was adamant on his dominance over 6’9 Lakers star

$1.7 billion worth Michael Jordan revealed just how confident he was when talking about facing off against LeBron James 1v1 in their primes. 

LeBron James was merely a year away from being in the league at the same time as Michael Jordan. Jordan hung it up after a couple lackluster seasons in Washington in 2003 and this was the same year that ‘The Chosen One’ was drafted number one overall, changing the course of NBA history forever. 

The discourse over who the greatest player of all time has divulged down to these two players, with James winning his 4th championship two years ago with the Los Angeles Lakers. There are way too many facets to the GOAT discussion but at the end of the day, it comes down to what people value most when it comes to legacy. 

Longevity coupled with dominance, ease of competition, how much help they had on their end: these are but a few factors that play into the GOAT debate. One way of giving fans a clear idea on who’s better is to play against one another. Of course, this was impossible as Jordan is over 2 decades older than LeBron James, tipping the scales in his favor by astronomical measures. 

Also read: “LeBron James and Michael Jordan are awesome, but Oscar Robertson would kick them both in the behind”: When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explained why the Big O was better than the GOATs

Michael Jordan on who would win between him and LeBron James. 

One’s of MJ’s marquee qualities is his confidence in himself. Michael Jordan was the first person to bet on himself and rightfully so. While hosting his annual basketball camps, he was asked the age-old question about who would win in a 1v1 between himself and LeBron James in their primes. 

Without skipping a beat, ‘His Airness’ replied by saying he would emerge victorious, ‘no question’. Now this is quite the bold statement as regardless of how big of a fan you are of Jordan’s, saying he would beat LeBron in a 1v1 with ease is a tall order given that James is a much bigger and faster player than he is.

Getting into the nitty-gritty of how they would match-up would take hours but it’s nice to see that MJ still has that competitive drive within him even in his retirement.

Also read: “Michael Jordan averaged 28-6-6 in his ROTY season!”: How the Bulls legend achieved greatness in his first season, emulating the great Oscar Robertson