LeBron James has revealed the relationship he expects to have with Michael Jordan after retirement and has given praise to the late, great Kobe Bryant an example of what he hopes will come to fruition.
The four-time NBA champion completed his 22nd year in the league with another All-Star and All-NBA team appearance.
Hopes increased he could make it five rings after it was announced just before the 2025 trade deadline that Luka Doncic would join the LA Lakers, upping James' chances to win a fifth championship.
However, the star duo failed to impress in the playoffs and suffered a straightforward 4-1 defeat in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Advert
After the loss, rumours of LeBron James' retirement once again started to float. However, they were seemingly silenced after Shams Charania confirmed that the 21-time All-Star would play another season in the league.
He is still two championships away from Michael Jordan's record of six and would want to achieve it before he retires; although the chances of this happening look very slim.
And while the two are often pitted against each other in the greatest of all time debate, James revealed he has immense respect for the Jumpman.
LeBron James on his relationship with Michael Jordan
Both James and Jordan have spoken on how they feel about each other.
In his recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, James stated he did not talk to Jordan as he was still playing.
"We all know MJ. Even if you don't know him personally, he is one of the most ruthless competitors there is, and until I'm done and he doesn't have to look at me running up and down wearing the No. 23 and every time my name is mentioned, it's mentioned with his," said James when asked if he talks to Jordan.
Although James never shared the court with Jordan, he has played against some other great players and one among them is Kobe Bryant.
Bryant is widely believed to be one of the only player with Jordan like abilities and won five championships before he retired.
He played his entire career with the Lakers and shared the court with James as part of the US national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic team.
James stated they had a good relationship while Bryant was playing, but it blossomed into something even better when the 40-year-old moved to play for the Lakers, which happened after the Hall of Famer's retirement
King James said: "He welcomed me. He called me, like, 'Bro, anything you need in LA, I got you. You're a Laker now. You're family.'
"And we would have multiple conversations. Obviously, you guys saw him coming to a lot of games.
"And when I passed him for the scoring record in Philly, he had a tweet out there like, 'Keep on going.' Like, 'Keep transcending the game. Keep going.' And that s*** meant so much to me."
Topics: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball, LA Lakers
Godwin Mathew