Ever since he came into the NBA in 2003, LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan.
In fact, when James was 15, he had the extreme fortune of being able to scrimmage with His Airness himself.
Former Los Angeles Laker Metta World Peace talked about what happened that day on Instagram Live on Tuesday.
“LeBron at 15-years old was killing it. But nobody at that age could give MJ a run for his money. MJ would have averaged 35 if I didn’t break his ribs. He averaged 25 and he had to sit out 3 months…at 38 years old…"
Metta breaks down 15-year-old LeBron vs. 38-year-old MJ pic.twitter.com/IQtcktIpEj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 24, 2020
Of all the superstars who entered the NBA right out of high school, James was the most physically developed and ready to compete against seasoned pros.
He averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game as a rookie, which are impressive numbers for someone who is fresh out of college, let alone high school.
Although the Jordan comparisons have persisted, people have felt more and more that James more closely resembles Magic Johnson due to his tendency to prefer getting an assist rather than looking to score.
This has especially been evident since the Akron, Ohio native joined the Lakers. In L.A., James has essentially been a point guard, a position he never really played with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat.
With the Lakers, James has also led one of the league’s deadliest fast breaks this season, which has given greater credence to the Johnson comparisons. The Cavs and Heat were never a true running team with the four-time MVP.
