Rare Footage of 18-Year-Old LeBron James Asking Michael Jordan for ‘Blueprint’ Goes Viral

A rare footage from the 2003 Jordan Brand Classic has gone viral as a young LeBron James wanted a peek inside Michael Jordan's mind.

Rare Footage of 18-Year-Old LeBron James Asking Michael Jordan for ‘Blueprint’ Goes Viral

LeBron James (Left) and Michael Jordan (Right) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Widely regarded as the two greatest players of all-time, LeBron James and Michael Jordan, have often been compared to each other ever since James set foot into the NBA in 2003. It is a disappointment that the two never got the chance to play one another as Jordan retired from the game a year before James made his debut.

The comparisons between the two are never going to end. Both have achieved numerous team and individual accolades during their time in the league with James just making his season-debut in a record-breaking 23rd season at the age of 40.

James has gone on to win four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 39-year-old record. Meanwhile, Jordan has won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career.

Recently, a rare footage showing an 18-year-old James talking to Jordan surfaced on social media and spread like wildfire. Chris Paul and Kendrick Perkins can also be seen at the end of the first clip. All these big names appear to have gathered for the 2003 Jordan Brand Classic.

A young James wanted a peek inside Jordan’s mind. Despite them being such prominent figures in the basketball world for decades, they haven’t interacted with each other on too many occasions. “The burning desire to become the best, how did that come about?” asks an 18-year-old James. Jordan responds:

I think it’s my passion for the game, my desire to get as close as I can to perfection. Listen to your coaches. Listen to the media, to some degree, because you’re gonna hear a lot of criticism about your game.

LeBron James and Michael Jordan will always be linked

LeBron James has been vocal about idolizing and looking up to Jordan during his childhood. But the constant comparisons in the media as well as on social media has made it difficult for the two superstars to connect, especially while James remains an active player for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the off-season, James and Hall of Famer Steve Nash taped a live episode of “Mind the Game”. During the live taping, fans in the audience were able to ask James and Nash various questions. One fan asked James which player he would want to play with from a previous era. The 40-year-old went with his childhood idol, Jordan. 

I think our games would’ve complemented. MJ was a flat-out scorer. He had a scorer’s mentality. If I had to pick him, but I know I can’t pick him because I know how social media works. You are gonna be like, ‘Oh, you wanna play with Michael Jordan too? You played with everybody else. I didn’t ask the question. I’m only answering it guys. I didn’t ask the question.

When LeBron James and Michael Jordan went head-to-head

The 2003 Jordan Brand Classic was not their only meeting from the early 2000s. James met Jordan for the first time in 2001 when he was 16 and even got to play a pickup game with him and other NBA veterans at one point. It was a clash without any competitive significance.

LeBron James Michael Jordan
LeBron James (Left) and Michael Jordan (Right) in 2001. (Image credits – Marca)

Jordan was 38-years-old and had entered the final stage of his career, and the meeting was more of a generational passing of the baton, rather than a hotly contested battle.

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