"Here's my number, if you need anything, just call' - NBA insider recalls one of the first encounters between Michael Jordan and LeBron James
NBA insider Jackie MacMullan talked about one of the first times LeBron James and Michael Jordan Jordan ever spoke to each other Friday’s during “The Ringer NBA Show.”
Michael Jordan gives LeBron James his number
Jackie MacMullan recalled Michael Jordan walking up to LeBron James and saying:
“Here’s my number. If you need anything, just call.”
MacMullan then said:
“And guess what? LeBron never did. But we can’t hold that against him; he’s probably more like Jordan than he is Dr. J (Julius Erving).”
James not calling is far from a knock against Jordan. If MJ had that happen to him, he arguably would not have called either. Both are players who would want to go on the court and prove their greatness before calling someone and asking for help.
Jordan won six championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and five MVP awards with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 30.1 points per game in his career.
James, on the other hand, stands two championships behind Jordan with four. He has four NBA Finals MVP awards and is a four-time MVP.
James is leading the league in scoring average this season, with 30.1 ppg. He is also averaging 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. James, in his 19th season, has led the league in scoring only once before (when he averaged 30.0 ppg in 2007-08).
The LA Lakers (31-43) are 10th in the Western Conference. They are fresh from blowing a 23-point lead against the New Orleans Pelicans (32-43) despite another great performance from James. He scored 39 points, with nine rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 116-108 loss. The Pels secured the tiebreaker with the Lakers.
This is James' fourth season in Los Angeles. Although the Lakers won the 2020 championship in the bubble, they will finish with their second losing season with James. They are clinging to a play-in berth with eight games remaining. They lead the 11th-place San Antonio Spurs (30-44) by one game but have a challenging schedule ahead of them.
Jordan and James were photographed together at the recent NBA 75th Anniversary celebration at the All-Star game. The two were seen shaking each other's hands and laughing together, basking in the celebration.
As both have managed to pave their names to the top of NBA history, one may wonder what could have happened if James had picked up the phone.