For a generation of basketball fans, LeBron James is the GOAT.

For those who lived through the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s, there is only one greatest of all time.

Jordan went 6-0 in NBA Finals in the ’90sCredit: AFP
Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

Jordan and James are 1A and 1B when it comes to the pantheon of NBA legends.

But before LeBron was bulldozing his way to the basket and tomahawk slamming in transition, he was a fan of MJ just like the rest of us.

James once recalled the first time he ever met the six-time Finals MVP.

He was so in awe of His Airness that he swore he was levitating.

“I think it was my junior year in high school I go up to Chicago and I go to a gym called Hoops where he plays basketball in the summertime,” The King remembered.

“I didn’t know he was going to be there. But I [saw] him walking towards me and it was kind of like he was walking on air. I had to pinch myself. Is that Michael? He was like Black Jesus to me.”

James was already well-known in basketball circles around the country but was still some years away from being ordained as ‘The Chosen One’ by Sports Illustrated.

LeBron entered the league in 2003Credit: Getty

He has won four titles along the wayCredit: Getty
Back then, LeBron was just a high school kid who idolized MJ and had dreams of making it to the pros.

The Lakers star explained that he was in Chicago with close friend and manager Maverick Carter when he met his basketball hero again.

Hilarious backyard footage of LeBron James shows the NBA legend calling himself the ‘GOAT’ after receiving trash talk
The year was 2001, two years before James was drafted by his hometown Cavaliers and right when MJ was contemplating returning to The Association with the Washington Wizards.

It was summertime and James was back in Chicago working out with established NBA stars like Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway, Ron Artest, Paul Pierce, Jerry Stackhouse and Tim Hardaway.

At the end of the day, they noticed a red Ferrari coming down the street before stopping.

It was Michael Jordan.

“Ho-lee s***,” Maverick Carter said.

“LeBron froze, staring at Jordan as he stepped out of the car and walked toward them. LeBron had never seen his idol up close. It looked as though he were levitating,” Jeff Benedict wrote in his book ‘LeBron’.

The group spent some time in the weight room and listened as Jordan told stories about the NBA.

LeBron was like a sponge and nodded along while trying to take it all in.

They shared a brief moment and hugged it outCredit: X@NBAonTNT
“It was like listening to God speak,” Carter said.

“Nobody told me that Mike lifted before he played,” James later recalled.

“We walk up there, and the first person I see is Charles Oakley.”

James said he ‘dapped up’ the former New York Knicks enforcer before noticing Mike.

“Then Oak moved, and when he moves, Mike is sitting on the bench press,” LeBron went on.

“I was like, ‘Oh my f***ing God,” James said. “I didn’t think it was real, man. You don’t understand. I didn’t think Michael Jordan was real. I only thought he lived in the TV. When I saw him, I was like, if the man above would have taken me that day, I would’ve lived a hell of a life, I swear to God.”

According to Benedict, James wrote in his personal journal: “I didn’t get to play with Mike, but I did get some run with a lot of the other NBA guys, and I talked to Jordan a little bit.

“He didn’t really give me any advice, he just told me to keep my head on straight. We all went out to dinner at his restaurant — the steak and mashed potatoes were tight.”

From that point on, James and Jordan’s relationship remained respectful but distant.

From the outside looking in, there was a clear rivalry as Jordan kept LeBron at arm’s length while The King did his best to eclipse MJ’s legacy.

But at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, James and Jordan’s paths crossed again as they were recognized for the NBA’s 75th anniversary season.

James made the winning shot in the game, a fadeaway jumper he said was inspired by Michael Jordan.

He wasn’t about to let the opportunity to meet his childhood idol pass him by, and the pair embraced in a short but powerful moment.

“I did not want to lose the opportunity to shake the man’s hand that inspired me throughout my childhood,” James said.

“I haven’t had much dialogue with him in my 20 years or 19 years in this business, but part of me wouldn’t be here without MJ’s inspiration. I always wanted to be like him growing up.

“It’s crazy that the game-winning shot tonight was a fadeaway, and it was inspired by MJ,” he went on.

“The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove, how much he inspired me.

I didn’t want to waste that opportunity because we’re just not in — we’re not in the same building a lot and haven’t been in the same building a lot throughout my career. It meant something to me.”