Report: Michael Jordan Said Behind Closed Doors LeBron James Was Going to Be One of Greatest of All Time

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: May 10, 2020

One of the most touched-on topics within the NBA in recent memory has been whether Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan.

Though Jordan has never been one to discuss the topic much, he did privately tell reporters that he thought James was indeed going to be one of the greatest players ever.

“If people think Michael Jordan resents LeBron, to me, there’s evidence to the contrary in that there’d be a phone call, and I’d answer the phone, and this is what I hear on the other end, ‘Hey don’t take a shot at LeBron, that’s just garbage, this kid is great. There’s no need to take a shot at him,'” reporter Michael Wilbon said. “That talk is playing out with him knowing it’s not going to be repeated.”

Wilbon went on to say that Jordan has defended players to members of the press that he’s been a fan of such as Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and of course James.

“There are certain players that Michael would call and say, ‘Hey, hey, hey stop. This is nonsense,'” said Wilbon. “Or if he knew I knew the person, ‘Hey, tell your boy he’s wrong. LeBron James is going to be one of the greatest players of all time.'”

The debates surrounding Jordan and James have been going strong for years now, but new fuel has been added to the flame thanks to “The Last Dance” documentary series, which covers Jordan’s final title season with the Chicago Bulls.

While Jordan and James will forever be linked, it seems quite clear that their relationship was never as adversarial as some made it out to be.