When LeBron James was left awestruck at Michael Jordan "walking on air" - "He was like black Jesus to me"
LeBron James and Michael Jordan are the top two greatest of all time in NBA history. But if Jordan never existed, then James wouldn't have had someone like him to look up to growing up. LBJ appeared on an old episode of "Late Show with David Letterman" when he opened up about how "Air" Jordan inspired him to play basketball.
"King" James said that he was always a fan of Michael Jordan's intensity and competitive spirit on the court. There was even a time when a young James traveled all the way to Chicago just to see Jordan play a practice game. LBJ was in awe of seeing one of his idols in the flesh. He even jokingly told Letterman that it was as if MJ was walking towards him while in mid-air, looking like a black Jesus.
“I love Michael Jordan," James said. "The way that he approached the game, the way that he led his troops when he went out on the court, and his never say die attitude man was something I always looked up to."
LeBron James continued:
“So I think it was my junior year in high school. I go up to Chicago and I go to a gym called hoops, where he plays basketball in the summertime. I didn’t know he was gonna be there, but I seen him. I seen him walking towards me and it was kind of like he was walking on air. I had to pinch myself and ‘Is that Michael?’ And he was like black Jesus to me."
The never-ending GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan
For many years now, basketball fans have constantly argued about who the greatest of all time is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Up to this day, Jordan's supporters still have a bigger population compared to James'. But nobody can deny that LBJ has proved time and time again that he's at least on par with the Chicago Bulls legend in terms of GOAT status.
Michael Jordan was an overly competitive player who hated to lose. Jordan would always take matters into his own hands by creating plays for himself. He was a score-first guard who did everything it took to win games.
LeBron James, on the other hand, is similar when it comes to Jordan's competitive spirit. The major difference is that LeBron is more of a pass-first player. He loves involving his teammates and getting them hot in the game before deciding to play hero ball.
The only reason the GOAT debate between the two never ends is that they play very differently from each other. MJ was the type that would want to score on you. LBJ is the type to make the most efficient play to add up to the team's total score. Both are great at what they do and can be considered the GOATs of their respective playing styles.