Mike didn't want to risk LeBron"- Michael Jordan protected a young LeBron James as he didn't want him to get injured
LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has made it known that he was a huge fan of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan growing up. During his junior year of high school, James received the opportunity to meet Jordan at a pickup game. However, according to former 19-year NBA veteran Charles Oakley, things didn’t go according to plan for James.
In his book, “The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories From the Life and Times of One of the NBA's Fiercest Competitors,” Oakley talked about how he became a mentor to James in high school after the two met. He then told the story of the time he and Jordan invited James to watch them play a pickup game with other NBA players:
“After we met, I became like a big brother to him. He looked up to Michael, and I knew I could help him get to know Mike,” Oakley said.
“When LeBron was a junior in high school, Michael and I invited him to come to Chicago to watch us play pickup. The run was at Attack Athletics, a place owned by Michael's personal trainer Tim Grover."
James arrived at the pickup game under the assumption that he would be participating in the game. However, Jordan feared that James would injure himself against the older, more physical competition. So the former Bulls superstar prevented James from playing:
"LeBron brought his stuff and wanted to play, but Michael wouldn't let him. It would have been fun to see LeBron as a junior in high school going up against a legend like Jordan, but Mike didn't want to risk LeBron getting hurt playing against NBA players," Oakley said.
LeBron James went on to be drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft straight out of high school. James then made an instant impact in the NBA as a teenager. This came as he won the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year award. The young Cavs star averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 41.7% shooting in his rookie season.
Charles Oakley would rather play with LeBron James than Michael Jordan
Charles Oakley has had the chance to watch LeBron James grow from a high school phenom to an NBA great. He was also able to play four seasons alongside Michael Jordan in Chicago and Washington. So, Oakley is very familiar with both players’ games. However, according to Oakley, if he had to choose just one to play with, he would choose James.
On a recent episode of “KG Certified,” Oakley explained that Jordan is his close friend, but he’d rather play with James because Jordan doesn’t pass him the ball:
“They asked me, ‘Who'd you rather play with, LeBron or Mike?’” Oakley said.
“I said, ‘LeBron, but Mike my best friend. Mike ain't passing me the ball. He don't care if I get a shot today or tomorrow.’ But, you know, that's how he got to be Mike.”
"I said LeBron but [Michael Jordan's] my best friend... Mike ain’t passing me the ball. He don’t care if I get a shot today or tomorrow. But you know, that’s how he got to be Mike."
—Charles Oakley, on who would he rather play with between the 2 GOATs.
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Also read: Gilbert Arenas knew LeBron James was gonna be legendary when they met for the first time - "You're watching a machine"