LeBron James recalls 'busting a**' as teen in infamous Michael Jordan pickup game

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The NBA world would have loved to see LeBron James and Michael Jordan play against each other. Surprisingly it actually did happen, but it was when James was a teenager, and it was also a pickup game. James recently opened up about the pickup game on the New Heights Show and shared how he felt being a part of the legendary game.

“When I was finally able to get on the court – First of all it was MJ, Antoine Walker, and the rest of those guys – they did not let young guys get on the court,” James said. “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.”

LeBron James: "I was 16 years old… I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, [and] Michael Finley."

Travis Kelce: "Who guarded you?"

LeBron: "Nobody. I was unguardable."

(via @newheightshow)pic.twitter.com/0Ru89OwGoj

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2025

Travis Kelce then asked James who guarded him, and he had an impressive answer.

“I was unguardable,” James said. “I was busting a**. I was nervous being out there with MJ. I was like 'I'm about to go crazy,' and I did."

There have been many stories out there that claimed that James was dominant in high school, and for him to be able to do that against grown men at the time goes to show that he was destined to be great.

LeBron James was destined for greatness

With the trend that LeBron James lies every once in a while, people can’t say that he was making up the pickup game story because Ron Artest told the same story on Paul George’s podcast.

"He was cooking," Artest said. "He was posting, getting to the basket, and I was like, 'This is going to be a huge issue.'”

Since James has been a young teen, it seems as if he’s just been the type of athlete that can do anything. His athleticism and strength allow him to get anywhere he wants on the court, and his IQ is one of the best in the game. At one point in his career, James even considered joining the NFL.

The only time I've like really taken it super duper serious, I believe I think it was 2011 when we had the NBA lockout," James said on the New Heights Show. "I didn't know when we were going to make the deal with the owners, and get our league back going. So I actually thought about it a little bit back then.”

With a guy like James, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he was able to dominate in football as well.

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