LeBron Raymone James Sr. is an honest-to-goodness megastar. Anyone who has spent nearly a quarter of a century at the pinnacle of sport and won his team and country countless accolades and glory, is. And during the course of his basketball stardom, LBJ has met innumerable celebrities himself, ranging from actors to philanthropists and superstar athletes to billionaire businessmen. And, of course, thousands and thousands of ordinary people.
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But how many of these encounters actually had some kind of impact on him? Back in 2020, a then 35-year-old LeBron James opened up about the two people who truly “changed his life”: His wife Savannah, and ‘His Airness’ Michael Jordan.
LeBron and Savannah were high school sweethearts who began their relationship in 2002 and eventually tied the knot in 2013. The couple has three children, 10-year-old Zhuri, 17-year-old Bryce, and LBJ’s Lakers teammate, 20-year-old Bronny. Considering their long, stable and strong partnership, it’s not too surprising that the four-time MVP named his significant other as one of the most significant influences in his life.
But MJ? LeBron had to explain himself a bit more after naming Jordan, but it’s no secret that he has idolized the Bulls legend from long before he became an NBA superstar himself. MJ was a childhood hero for LBJ and someone he’s always looked up to. So, when the two finally met in 2001, it was a surreal experience for a young LeBron.
“It’s two people that I’ve met in my life that’s changed my life, meaning my wife… and meeting Michael Jordan,” James shared on UNINTERRUPTED, the media platform he co-founded. “When I met Michael Jordan for the first time, I literally couldn’t believe it was him. The dude looked like Jesus Christ to me. He was Black Jesus to me, and nobody could tell me anything different.”
Despite the superstars’ first encounter being more than two decades ago, LeBron remembers it clearly. “I was in Chicago, Maverick [Carter] and I, and our good friend G, they take us to hoops… So we walk upstairs, and nobody told me that Mike lifts before he played… Mike is sitting on the bench press and I’m like, ‘Oh my f***ing God.'”
LeBron’s first interaction with MJ may have changed his life, but there’s a reason they say you should never meet your heroes. In an unfortunate turn of events, the pair of basketball legends actually don’t talk much.
LeBron shared why Michael Jordan doesn’t want to talk to him
While some may figure that James and Jordan’s strained relationship could be due to jealousy from His Airness, LeBron shared what he believes is the real reason MJ doesn’t want to speak to him right now.
“We don’t talk ’cause I’m still playing. [MJ] is one of the most ruthless competitors there is. MJ doesn’t want to talk to me until I’m done,” LeBron said on The Pat McAfee Show.
LeBron shared his hope that he and Jordan will be able to reconnect once he decides to retire from the sport. However, knowing MJ’s unmatched competitive nature, it may be more difficult for the two to establish a friendship than the Lakers star thinks.
