NBA star LeBron James and soccer sensation Kylian Mbappe were masters of their particular crafts at the young and tender age of 18.
Advertisement
LeBron James and Kylian Mbappe are two of the biggest sporting icons in the world. While Bron has been putting the league on a tear for the past 19 years, Mbappe, despite being 22 years of age, has already established himself as one of the world’s greatest. Both the athletes are true masters of their own crafts.
Terrorizing the league since 2003, King James has built up one of the most decorated resumes the NBA has ever witnessed – 17 All-Star selections, 17 All-NBA selections, 6 All-Defensive selections, 4-time MVP, 4-time NBA champion. 4-time Finals MVP, a future first-ballot Hall-Of-Famer, and will be one of the greatest to ever do it once he decides to hang his boots.
Also Read: When Jimmy Butler explained why he would select the French giants to play soccer for
On the other hand, the Paris Saint-Germain forward has had quite a solid career till now. Making his professional debut at the age of 16, the French star is already a 3-time Ligue 1 top scorer, 4-time Ligue 1 winner, 3-time Coupe de France champ, 1-time Player of the Year, and even won the prestigious World Cup at Russia back in 2018.
“Everything you do is magnifies”: LeBron James and Kylian Mbappe on being worldly renowned at the age of 18
Both the superstars made it big, in their respective fields, at the tender age of 18. While LBJ was drafted into the pros as he just turned an adult, Mbappe made a historic €180 million transfer from AS Monaco to PSG just a few years back.
Back in 2018, shortly after the French superstar had transferred to Paris, Mbappe and LBJ met up during the latter’s “More Than An Athlete” World Tour in Paris. The generational talents sat down and spoke about their careers. And one of the things the two discussed was about the difficulties they had to face being famous and successful at 18.
James: “The biggest change is that everything you do is magnified. That’s a very challenging and difficult situation for an 18-year-old. One day you can say and do whatever you want, walk the streets, go to movies and have fun. And then the next day you’re put on this world stage and now they expect you to be someone that you might not be able to fulfil at that point in time.”
Mbappe: “You don’t live like everybody else anymore, you have responsibilities. You have to deal with professionalism and are asked to behave as an adult.”
James: “I had kind of prepared myself because I had fallen in love with the game at such a younger age than 18. When I was three, four, five, six, I was having visions of being on the biggest stage.”
Mbappe: “I’ve always dreamt about being in that position. And when I reached that level, for me it wasn’t a success yet, but the beginning of a story.”
Also Read: When Jimmy Butler revealed the story behind the origin of his famous nickname
