WATCH: Frances Tiafoe shows his loyalty toward LeBron James; ditches Lionel Messi, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan in favor of the legend
Frances Tiafoe chose LeBron James as the greatest athlete over multiple extraordinary athletes across different sports. The American tennis star showed his loyalty to the NBA legend by picking him over the likes of Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan.
Tiafoe took the Tennis Channel's 'Loyalty Test - Sports GOATs' edition, where he was asked to choose one from two of the greatest athletes in the world. Whoever, he chooses would be pegged against the next athlete and he has to choose again.
Frances Tiafoe's first choice was between eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt and 23-time gold medallist Michael Phelps. Tiafoe chose Bolt and the sprinter was pegged against NBA legend Kobe Bryant next. The 26-year-old, a well-known NBA fan, chose Bryant over Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, he chose Muhammad Ali over Bryant and Katie Ledecky before LeBron James was brought into the mix. Tiafoe chose James consecutively over the likes of Simone Biles, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, and lastly, Michael Jordan to proclaim:
"Bron's the best athlete of all time," Tiafoe said.
Watch Tiafoe's loyalty toward the four-time NBA champion below:
Frances Tiafoe draws inspiration from the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant
Speaking on Nick Kyrgios' podcast 'Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios' in April this year, Frances Tiafoe opened up about how he takes inspiration from the likes of NBA legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He pointed out their lighthearted and carefree attitude off the court but how they turned competitive as soon as they were on it.
“It's all outside tennis. You see (Le)Bron (James), you see Kobe, right? Those guys like seeing them; you know, being cool with their teammates, whatever cool with their friends. But when it was out there, like, me and you were so tight, we joked around right before we got out there, then it’s on," Frances Tiafoe said (at 6:43).
"Same with those guys, especially with the best players in the world. Everyone stepped in, and I wanted to show the world what I could do. Then I just get super excited, and those guys definitely help with it,” he added.
Currently, Tiafoe is regaining form after dropping out of the Top 20 earlier this year. He reached his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati before taking to the Flushing Meadows for the US Open.
At the New York Major, Tiafoe defeated compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round and Alexander Shevchenko in the second round to set up a third-round battle against Ben Shelton on August 30th.