- LeBron James was attracting huge offers before he even reached college
- The four-time NBA champion shared the story on the Kelce brothers’ podcast
- LeBron turned down the deal to sign with Nike
LeBron James, unsurprisingly, was in fine form when he appeared on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast, this week. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was armed with an arsenal of mind blowing stories. Although there was one that still stood out among the rest.
Not content with sharing how he turned down $10m from Reebok in high school , LeBron also revealed to Travis and Jason Kelce that he got on court during one of Michael Jordan’s legendary post-retirement pickup games as a 16-year-old and was, to quote the four-time NBA champion himself, “unguardable”.
After winning six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990’s, His Royal Airness retired in 1998 and would host offseason workouts with everyone from fellow NBA pros to college athletes to players from overseas.
LeBron James on the ICONIC pickup game he played with Michael Jordan when he was 16 years old:
— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) January 15, 2025
“When I was finally able to get on the court… I was unguardable… I was busting a**… I was nervous, but I was like, ‘I’m about to go crazy,’ and I did.” 😳
(via @newheightshow) pic.twitter.com/ZY29IPniw2
And, while there was little opportunity afforded to teenagers in the extremely competitive games, James was never going to take no for an answer when, as a 16-year-old high school sophomore, he travelled from Akron, Ohio to Chicago to pit himself against several of the all-time NBA greats. As you do when you’re still two years away from college.
Explaining what the experience was like as a high school kid going up against Michael actual Jordan, LeBron said, “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.
“Usually when the older guys, they get tired and they don’t want to play no more. I was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley.”
Although he was made to wait, the 20-time All Star eventually found himself on the hardwood and, as his retelling of the story goes, he made sure it was worth the wait.
“Nobody. I was unguardable,” LeBron told the Kelces when they asked who guarded him during the game.
“I was nervous as hell but I was like, ‘I’m about to go crazy,’ and I did.”
Twenty-four years later and LeBron is still going crazy, somehow, at the age of 40. Ludicrous.
