LeBron James has opened up on his relationship with Michael Jordan, revealing that the rift between them could be reduced when he retires from the NBA.
Both James and Jordan are centered around the GOAT debates, and although there is respect between them, the Los Angeles Lakers star stated why they don’t get along too well these days.
James said on the Pat McAfee Show that as long as he is considered a competition, the Chicago Bulls legend will not be open to a proper friendship with him.
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‘We don’t talk,’ LeBron James said about his relationship with Michael Jordan. When asked why, he replied ‘I’m still playing. I’m still focused on my craft right now.’
McAfee then asked: ‘When you’re done, you think you two could have a conversation?’
‘I would hope so,’ James replied. ‘We all know MJ. Even if you don’t know him personally, he’s one of the most ruthless competitors.’
‘And till I’m done, and he doesn’t have to see me running up and down, wearing the number 23, and every time my name is mentioned, it’s mentioned with his, he’s like, ‘I don’t wanna f****** talk to you.”
James also touched on how he got closer to the late Kobe Bryant after the legend’s retirement.
The 40-year-old said that his bond with Kobe became stronger once he transferred from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
‘Me and Kobe [Bryant] never had a real relationship either… We was on the Olympic team, we had a great relationship there. Olympic team ’08, Olympic team 12 but it was always competitive between us.
‘I was on the East Coast and he was on the West Coast. I f***ed up one time in ’09 and didn’t beat Orlando and didn’t give me the opportunity to play him in the Finals.
‘But until I became a Laker and he retired, that’s when our relationship became really really good,’ James added. ‘He welcomed me, called me, like, ‘Bro, anything you need in LA, I got you. You’re a Laker now, you’re family.”
Before his last words, James made an intriguing revelation about seeing Jordan at the NBA 75th Anniversary Team ceremony, stating that he idolized the six-time champion in his early days.
‘That was dope,’ he said. ‘That was straight respect, admiration. I wore 23 because of MJ and the inspiration that he gave me as a kid in Akron, Ohio that don’t have much inspiration in your hometown.’
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‘You look at something,’ James continued. ‘Somebody in sports, somebody in music, somebody on a TV screen. So Will Smith in Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Michael Jordan playing for the Bulls, Jay Z, Biggie, and Tupac, that was my inspiration.’
