Truth About Viral Clip of Michael Jordan Getting Dunked On by LeBron James Debunked

The LeBron James-Michael Jordan saga continues as a video claiming that a young James once dunked on Jordan went viral.

Truth About Viral Clip of Michael Jordan Getting Dunked On by LeBron James Debunked

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

It is unfortunate that the NBA world never got to witness Michael Jordan and LeBron James going head-to-head on the basketball court. The two superstars have transcended the sport and are undoubtedly the two greatest players to ever play basketball.

Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. He played 13 seasons for the Bulls before announcing his retirement. He made a return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001. He played for two seasons and announced his final retirement in 2003. Unfortunately for everyone, 2003 was the year James was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school.

Despite not being in the NBA at the same time, there have been stories of the two sharing the court in 2001. Jordan was pretty much at the end of his career at 38, while James was just 17. Recently, a viral clip claiming to show a 16-year-old James dunking on Jordan has reignited the GOAT debate.

But much to the disappointment of LeBron James‘ fans, it is not the king in the footage. The player dunking on Michael Jordan has been misidentified as James. The clip is actually from a 1999 camp run by Jordan, and the player in the video is Cedric Moodie.

Moodie played college basketball at Ball State for three years. He never made it to the NBA as he was undrafted in the 2002 NBA draft. While he did not make it to the NBA, he played in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL).

There has been footage of a young James meeting Jordan and asking questions. Former players have even shared the story of the two icons sharing the court in 2001 and seeing James dominate. Unfortunately for the fans, there has been no footage to show any of it.

Fans react to viral clip of Michael Jordan getting dunked on by a player misidentified as LeBron James

It did not take long for the clip to go viral. Any time Michael Jordan and LeBron James are under the same roof, there will be a lot of eyeballs. But with the truth of the player dunking on Jordan out, several fans called it out across social media.

The fans were quick to identify that James is not the player dunking on Jordan in the clip. While fans eagerly await seeing some footage from their game in 2001, this clip is not one of them.

Michael Jordan doubted LeBron James’ potential before he was drafted 

When LeBron James was drafted into the NBA in 2003, the expectations and hype were unparalleled. The pressure on the shoulders of an 18-year-old was immense. However, despite the constant attention and scrutiny, James went on to fulfill his potential as “The Chosen One”.

With Jordan retiring for the final time, all eyes were on James when he set foot into the NBA. Not only did James go on to meet the expectations, but he also went on to surpass them all. While the comparisons between Jordan and James will continue for years to come, there is no questioning that James is the only player who has reached that level in terms of greatness.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James
Michael Jordan and LeBron James (Image via ESPN)

Before James was drafted into the league, Jordan became aware of him and gave his two cents on how he thought LeBron would fare at the professional level. According to ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst in his book “LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete”, Jordan said:

Once he gets to this level, I don’t think he’s in the upper echelon of two guards or small forwards. There’s so much about his game that he’s going to have to adapt to. He has unbelievable potential. I think that’s what everybody is looking at; everybody is raving about. But he hasn’t played against competition consistently, college or pros. He’s played against high school kids. You have to give that some credence.

Michael Jordan on LeBron James

Jordan’s doubts were understandable as James was going to take a huge leap from high school to the NBA. It is a monumental task, and many have struggled to make the leap. However, James has gone on to achieve greatness and continues to play at a high level in his 23rd season.

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