LeBron Says First Encounter With Michael Jordan 'Was Like Meeting God'
LeBron James took time for some reflection on Saturday, recalling his first encounter with Michael Jordan. The pair met in June 2001, when the former Bulls star was preparing for a comeback to the NBA, this time with the Wizards. James was in high school at the time of the meeting.
"It was godly," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I've said that over and over before, but it was like meeting God for the first time. That's what I felt like as a 16-year-old kid when I met MJ."
James will take on Jordan's Hornets on Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. And while Jordan still has a 6-3 edge in NBA titles, James is close to gaining the edge on the all-time scoring list. James is 460 points behind Jordan's 32,292 career mark. At 28.4 points per game in 2018-19, James is on pace to pass Jordan in mid-January.
LeBron reportedly took lessons from Jordan away from the floor as well. James complimented Jordan's endorsement prowess and business sense in addition to his basketball excellence on Saturday.
"MJ made the game global," James said. "He made the game global. He made people all over the world want to watch the game of basketball because of his marketability, because of the way he played the game of basketball, because of who he was. He kind of transcended that era."
James and the Lakers are 17–11 on the year, fifth in the West. Charlotte sits sixth in the East at 14–14.
