Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been around the professional world of basketball for well over half of his life. He made his NBA debut at 18 years old, and was arguably the most highly-touted high school prospect in the history of the game during his years of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, while Michael Jordan was at the tail end of his all-time great career.
The two never got to cross paths in the NBA, as Jordan retired — for the third and final time — the same summer LeBron was drafted. The debate between James and Jordan, in part, has been impossible to settle because they never played at the same time. However, that doesn’t mean the two never shared a court together.
LeBron got the chance to play alongside Jordan when he was a sophomore in high school back in 2000-01. Jordan was in the midst of his second retirement during this time and hosted a camp in Chicago, where none other than James was waiting to get on the court. He described the full interaction with Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast:
“So when I finally was able to get on the court. First of all, MJ, Antoine Walker and the rest of those guys did not let young guys get on the court. At all. And I was 16 years old, I was a sophomore in high school. And it takes a while to get on the court. It’s usually when the older guys get tired and they don’t want to play anymore. But I did and I was able to get on the court alongside MJ, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, all these guys.”
But the Kelce brothers wanted to know more than just the story of how it happened, they wanted to know the results of this infamous pick-up game. And in typical LeBron fashion, he didn’t have trouble fitting in alongside the Hall of Fame veterans:
“I was unguardable. Listen, I was 16, I was a high school sophomore… I was in Chicago at MJ’s court. It was called Hoops. There’s a clip out right now of Metta World Peace talking about that moment as well. When I finally got out there, I was like ‘I’m busting ass, man.’ I was nervous as hell being out there with MJ and the rest of those guys, but I was like ‘I’m about to go crazy.’ And I did.”
It’s no surprise that LeBron was able to hold his own on that court, even at 16 years old. He came into the NBA at 18 and instantly looked the part of an All-Star. So in a pick-up game against a retired Jordan, it’s easy to see how James would look strong.
Now, at 40 and still playing high-level basketball, LeBron is playing alongside kids that were his age when he entered the league and likely looking back on that time in his life with a different appreciation.
LeBron James calls playing with Bronny his greatest accomplishment
One of the kids entering the NBA at the same age LeBron James did 22 years ago is his son, Bronny. The Lakers took LeBron’s son in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, making them the first father-son duo to share the floor at the same time.
And he spoke about how, besides the championships, there has been no accomplishment greater than being able to play next to Bronny.
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