When the ascendancy of LeBron James became a headache for the rival NBA franchises, Michael Jordan came to their rescue. Upon dissecting the then-Miami Heat star’s gameplay, MJ formulated a theory on how to contain him. However, James swiftly overcame this challenge from his idol, rendering the latter’s hypothesis null.
The 4x MVP picked the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals as the grandest stage to highlight the theory’s shortcomings. While the Indiana Pacers followed MJ’s advice word by word, James utilized their plan against them to succeed in Game 1.
During the closing moments of the clash, the opposition lined up to collectively prevent the 4x champion from driving to his right. However, it created a massive open space on James’ left, despite being tightly marked by Paul Geroge. He capitalized on this opportunity to drive to the rim to score a game-winning left-handed layup.
To this day, the true intentions of Jordan’s statement remain unknown. Several viewers thought MJ had genuinely aimed at helping out the Heat’s rival franchises. Whereas, the timing of his comments alongside the simplicity behind them led to many believing that he just wanted to test James’ limits.
If the latter was the case, the 20x All-Star undoubtedly passed with flying colors. It probably also made MJ respect James’ competitive spirit more than earlier, planting the seeds for mutual admiration.
LeBron James continues to impress Michael Jordan
Since coming into the NBA, James had to prove himself at every step of the way. Yet, the Akron-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 overcame those challenges continually to set new benchmarks in the league. This eventually aided in him receiving a nod of approval from his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood hero, MJ.
The basketball community saw a glimpse of this when James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. Jordan made the Los Angeles Lakers star’s auspicious occasion unforgettable by allegedly congratulating him for the accomplishment.
