NBA superstar LeBron James confirmed Ron Artest‘s story that he dominated a pick-up game with Michael Jordan at 16 years old in 2001.
LeBron was in high school. He played with Jordan, Artest, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway and Michael Finley.
“First of all, MJ, Antoine Walker and the rest of those guys did not let young guys get on the court at all,” LeBron said on the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce. “I was 16 years old, I was a sophomore in high school, and it takes a while to get on the court. It’s usually when the older guys, they get tired and don’t want to play no more.”
When Travis Kelce asked LeBron who guarded him, The King said, “Nobody. I was unguardable. When I finally got out there, I was busting ass man. I was nervous. I was nervous as hell being out there with MJ and the rest of those guys, but I was like, ‘I’m about to go crazy,’ and I did.”
Here is what Artest said about LeBron: “He was cooking. He was posting, getting to the basket, and I was like, ‘This is going to be a huge issue.’”
Jordan and LeBron are two of the best players in NBA history.
The GOAT debate between Jordan and LeBron is among the most discussed topics in basketball discourse.
Jordan has career averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. He won five MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six championships, six Finals MVPs, three steals titles and 10 scoring titles with the Bulls in the ’90s.
Meanwhile, LeBron has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion, a four-time Finals MVP, a one-time scoring champion and a one-time assists champion.
Jordan, who went 6-0 in the NBA Finals, is first in NBA history in points per game, fourth in steals, fifth in field goals and second in player efficiency rating. He holds the NBA record for most points (63) scored in a postseason game.
LeBron, who grew up idolizing Jordan, is first in NBA history in points, fourth in assists, eighth in steals, second in field goals, seventh in 3-point field goals, fifth in triple-doubles, seventh in points per game and third in player efficiency rating.
LeBron is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists, the only player to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams, the only player with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists and the only player to score 40,000 points.
Jordan made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams during his career.
Meanwhile, LeBron has made 20 All-Star teams, 20 All-NBA teams and six All-Defensive teams.
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