LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday in December, while six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan turns 62 next month.
In the 2002-03 season, Jordan played 82 games on behalf of the Washington Wizards, which was also his last year in the NBA. At the same time, James was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Although the two basketball icons didn't get the chance to go head-to-head in an NBA game, James recently recalled his experience playing against Jordan.
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(LR) LeBron James and Michael Jordan attend the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
James told brothers Travis and Jason Kelce that he was 16 and a high school basketball star when he met Jordan at a pick-up game in Chicago.
"I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all those guys," James said during a recent appearance on the Kelce Brothers Said on the show; "New Heights" podcast.
LeBron James breaks Michael Jordan's 30-point record with 563 points
As Travis prepares for this weekend's divisional round game against the Houston Texans, he ends up asking James who will be guarding him during the game.
"No one. I can't guard against it," James replied confidently.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball playoff first-round series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Trier)
James admitted he was initially nervous when he realized he had a chance to go up against an NBA superstar.
"When I finally walked out, I thought, 'I'm breaking --'. I was nervous, being there with MJ and everyone else, but I was like, 'Oh, I'm going crazy.' "I did it," James added.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates a three-pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, was last seen on That was in 2017 in the NBA, but he was only 20 years old when said draft took place. He recalled the moment in May 2024 when he appeared on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George's "P with Paul George Podcast."
"Everybody knows who he is. He's already famous. He's bigger than all of us in the gym," Artest said. “So he walked into the gym and I was like, ‘OK, cool, I want to see what he has.
"He was cooking. He was 15 or 16 years old. Shooting, shooting. I thought, 'This is going to be a big deal.'"
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Artest added that the situation keeps him motivated.
"He actually inspired me. When I saw that, it motivated me. I thought, 'I gotta go to work.'" He could cook when he came into the league, which wasn't the case when I was 15. . "
James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time league MVP and 20-time NBA All-Star. In his 22nd season in the league, he remains one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 23.7 points per game this season.
The Lakers were inactive Wednesday night and resume play Thursday night at home against the Miami Heat.
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