Michael Jordan didn’t think very highly LeBron James back in the day.
Michael Jordan is considered to be the greatest player in basketball history although LeBron James is certainly a close second. Over the years, Jordan hasn’t had very much acknowledgment LeBron and doesn’t seem too interested in having much a relationship with him. Perhaps much this has to do with the fact that Jordan is a competitor who doesn’t want to associate himself with someone who could take over his position as the GOAT.
In fact, Jordan didn’t have much faith in LeBron, from the start. In a recently unearthed newspaper clipping from before LeBron was drafted, Jordan claimed that LeBron had potential although he would most likely be in the lower tier shooting guards and small forwards. He even went so far as to say that LeBron had yet to play against men and that it would be an extremely uphill climb before he could be truly great.
Of course, all this was proven false when LeBron entered the league as he was a superstar right out the gate. LeBron became the league’s most dominant player in very short order and at 35 years old, he remains the face the NBA. Needless to say, Jordan isn’t much a talent evaluator although his career as an executive has proven that already.