LeBron James revealed that he played against Michael Jordan in a pickup game at just 16-years-old and claims he was ‘un-guardable’.
LeBron James Recalls Facing Michael Jordan In Pickup Game At Just 16 Years Old
LeBron James and Michael Jordan are often regarded as the best básquet players of all-time, but the two never faced off in the NBA.
Jordan retired from the sport in 2002/03, which was the season before LeBron James entered the league and we never got to see the two go to battle.
However, James has now revealed that the two básquet icons have faced off on the court before – with a 16-year-old LeBron facing Jordan.
The LA Lakers star appeared as a guest in a recent episode of the New Heights Podcast, which is hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
The brothers have seen great success from their podcast, having some huge names on the show including Will Ferrell and Patrick Mahomes – but LeBron James is the biggest so far.
During the podcast, the 40-year-old spoke about his son, Bronny James, and his future in básquet but the highlight came during a story about James facing Jordan in a pickup match at just 16-years-old.
“I was unguardable”
I would give anything to watch a 16 year old Lebron playing pickup with Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/K4Xe4BdBwM
— New Heights (@newheightshow) January 15, 2025
The four-time NBA champion also revealed that some other huge names were playing in the match, including Antoine Walker, Penny Hardway, Ron Artest, and Michael Finley.
James said: “When I finally got out there, I was like, ‘I’m busting a–.’ I was nervous. I was nervous as hell, being out there with MJ and the rest of those guys. But I was like, ‘Oh, I’m about to go crazy.’ And I did. I did.”
When asked about who guarded him, James responded with a hilarious, yet believable, answer which sums the American star up.
Travism Kelce asked: “Who guarded you?”
To which James replied with: “Nobody, I’m un-guardable.”