Michael Jordan had the coldest response when LeBron James stared him down while dunking during NBA game

Michael Jordan had an unbelievably cold response when LeBron James stared at him while dunking during an NBA game.

Jordan and James are widely considered to be two of the best basketball players in history, with 10 NBA championships between them as well as a whole host of other achievements and honours.

They never came up against one another on the court but have regularly been compared by fans, pundits and players as part of the never-ending GOAT debate.

James wears the No.23 as a tribute of sorts to Jordan, who made it an iconic jersey with his heroics for the Chicago Bulls - and he's even attempted to recreate his 'eyes closed' dunk.

The pair have crossed paths before and there has always been a mutual respect between them, with Jordan even calling James the best player in the league a few years back.

However, James did once appear to stare into Jordan's soul once as he sat courtside.

In game three between Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) back in April 2014, James helped his team to a 98-85 victory on the road.

'King' scored a game-high 30 points and at one stage, with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter and Miami leading 66-49, he stole possession and dribbled towards the basket before pulling off a trademark dunk.

But as he did so, James didn't have his eyes on the rim - instead producing a no-look dunk. Replays showed that Jordan was looking to his right, with commentators noting that it was in the direction of where an unimpressed Jordan, the owner of the Bobcats at the time, was sat.

In the comments referring to his reaction, one fan remarked that "Jordan looks like he would have paid 100 million to be 28 years old again for 1 game" - while another said his facial expression basically said, "You look at me like that again, you'll be with Adidas by tomorrow".

ESPN broadcasters were adamant that James was sending a message to Jordan, but the former Cleveland Cavaliers star emphatically denied it was the case.

"Don't start that," he said when asked afterwards.

"Absolutely not, man, absolutely not. I was able to read [Josh] McRoberts, get a steal and push the lead back up. I absolutely didn't look at MJ, for sure."