LeBron James Details Feeling Hopeful Upon Seeing Michael Jordan On TV While Growing Up In Akron

The heroics of Michael Jordan inspired generations while irreversibly changing the basketball landscape. More importantly, his gallant efforts injected hope into the heart of a young LeBron James, starting a chain reaction. Decades later, the latter reminisced about the years of watching MJ on television while growing up in Akron, Ohio.

During the latest episode of The Shop, James admitted looking up to Jordan during his early years. Despite hailing from a similar background, the latter’s rise to superstardom inspired him to succeed. Expressing his viewpoint publicly, the Los Angeles Lakers star mentioned,

“Looking up to people when you’re growing up and trying to figure out what you wanna do, it gives you hope…I aspired to want to be like Michael Jordan. He is in Chicago, I’m in Akron, Ohio…He is black, I’m black. He is from Wilmington, North Carolina, seems like a very rural place that ain’t got much going on there, I’m from Akron, Ohio, ain’t much going on here. So there is a possibility of getting out of this s**t. That is hope”.

While growing up with his mother Gloria, James had to learn the ways of the world at a young age. The socioeconomic conditions of Akron, in particular, forced the family to learn to survive, instead of thrive. While this helped in the youngster’s progress to a large extent, it also made him look elsewhere for stability.

That’s where Jordan came in. While the persistent build-up around him changed the trajectory of the NBA, it also gave millions of followers hopes for a bigger and better future. Luckily, James was one of them, prompting him ‘to be like Mike’.

Years later, the Akron-born’s decision paid off immensely. And now, apart from solidifying his legacy as an NBA great, he is working actively to improve the circumstances around his hometown neighborhood. As a result, James has become the symbol of hope for the next generations, continuing the circle of life.

LeBron James’ admiration for Michael Jordan

Despite reaching the pinnacle of success, James always has remained in awe of his role model. Earlier this year, the basketball community witnessed one example when the 20x All-Star reminisced about meeting MJ for the first time. Recalling the moment on UNINTERRUPTED’s After Party podcast, he stated,

“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. Nobody could tell me anything different”.

So, James’ admiration for Jordan has only grown over the years. Despite never meeting him only until his late teenage, The King continued to respect The Black Jesus for showing him the path to success. This dynamic excited the basketball fans while giving rise to a heartwarming storyline in the league’s history.