Last December, six-time NBA champion LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday michael jordan He turns 62 next month.

Jordan played 82 games for the Washington Wizards in the 2002-03 season, his final year with the Washington Wizards NBA. At the same time, James was selected with the first 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 the brothers Travis Kelce Jason Kelce said he was a 16-year-old high school basketball star when he played catch with Jordan 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 in the program. “new heights” podcast.

LeBron James breaks Michael Jordan’s 30-point record with 563 points

Travis is preparing to houston texans During this weekend’s divisional round, James was finally asked who was 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 their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (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 was like, ‘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/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 he showed up to Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s “game” in May 2024.Paul George’s Podcast P“.

“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’ve got to go to work.'” He was cooking 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 idle Wednesday night and return to action Thursday night at home. miami heat.

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