Billionaire LeBron James faced off against 20-year-old Klay Thompson before losing to him 3 times in NBA Finals
In the summer leading up to LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat, he looked to put the media pressure out of his mind by playing basketball with Chris Paul and some of his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.
Little did LeBron James know he would end up squaring off against a future core member of the Golden State Warriors dynasty in Klay Thompson. At the time, Thompson was still playing in the collegiate system, representing Washington State, with his future in the NBA still yet to be written.
However, this wasn't the first time James had encountered Thompson, having played against him in a pick-up game in Akron, Ohio - Chris Paul was also part of that game. Yet, it was the 2010 pick-up game with some of his Cavaliers teammates that LeBron really saw what Thompson was about, as the future All-Star scorer hit multiple long-range buckets en route to a loss.
When speaking to ESPN in 2018, LeBron James shared his approach to playing against younger talent and why he believes it's important to treat them with respect and encouragement.
"You never know who you're going to cross paths with," LeBron said. "That's why, for me personally, I've always been kind to the younger generation and the kids in high school, the kids in college, the kids growing up.
"I would never want a story to come out about me and them say, 'Man, when I was in the 10th grade, man, I went up to LeBron, and he told me you ain't never going to make it and now ...' You know? That's wack for me. To kill a kid's dream before it started? That's wack to me."
However, once Klay Thompson entered the league and the Golden State Warriors became a force, that encouragement turned into a rivalry.
Thompson has defeated LeBron James thrice in Finals
LeBron James and Klay Thompson have gone to battle on numerous occasions, but it's their NBA Finals contests that stick out.
In 2015, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors in a six-game series, marking his first playoff exit at the hands of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The following year, LeBron returned to the postseason and helped lead his team to a historic comeback that ended in the Cavaliers' 2016 championship.
However, in 2017, after making another run to the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, James was once again thwarted by the Warriors' impressive core. He also tasted defeat a year later in 2018 - leading to his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, as the Golden State Warriors begin to lose steam due to aging, LeBron James might be holding out for one last chance to gain some revenge, whether that be in the Western Conference playoffs or in the NBA Finals, should he change teams in the coming years.
However, one thing is for sure - when LeBron and Klay Thompson played that pick-up game in 2010, nobody expected the rivalry to be competitive for the two future Hall of Famers.