"This is the guy whose posters are on his bedroom walls" - Jeff Benedict reveals time when Michael Jordan approached teenage LeBron James
Few debates across the sports landscape are as heated as LeBron James versus Michael Jordan for the greatest basketball player of all time.
Both players have had incredibly impressive careers and are responsible for shaping the game of basketball as we know it. They each also have their own individual arguments for why they are the best, with each holding legitimacy.
On sports personality Colin Cowherd's podcast, "The Volume," Jeff Benedict took a deeper look at the connection between the players. Benedict is a bestselling author of 17 books, including his newest work which is titled "LeBron" and is set to drop this year.
Benedict revealed a story of LeBron James meeting Michael Jordan during his younger years and emphasized how important Jordan was to shaping LeBron during the interview. As he recalled:
"The coolest athlete in the world (Jordan) gets out of the car and approaches LeBron. This is his idol. This is the guy whose posters are on his bedroom walls. It's the guy whose number he wears, and Michael invites him back inside and they talk.
"Michael doesn't give him advice, Michael's not that kind of guy, but what he did give him was his cell phone number."
“This is his idol. This is the guy whose posters are on his bedroom walls.”
—@authorjeff tells @ColinCowherd about the time teenage LeBron was approached by Michael Jordan https://t.co/N5comByNMi
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James
While LeBron James has earned plenty of respect in his own right, Michael Jordan's influence is clear. James was crowned as the potential greatest basketball player in high school and, against all odds, has managed to live up to this hype.
From wearing No. 23 for most of his career to openly discussing his desire to be the greatest of all time, the ties to Michael Jordan are clear. Jeff Benedict hinted at the ties being even deeper than are being recognized during the interview, saying,
"The Michael Jordan origin stories with LeBron – they're real, and they're some of the most interesting parts of LeBron's story."
The two superstars have combined for 10 championships, 10 Finals MVPs, nine regular-season MVPs and 33 All-Star appearances. They are widely regarded as the two best players to ever play the sport and will forever have an intertwined legacy.
LeBron James continues to look to add to his impressive career as the LA Lakers have successfully made it out of the play-in tournament and are set to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round of the playoffs. Michael Jordan still has two more championships than LeBron, but James has shown no signs of slowing down yet.