LeBron James thinks he and Michael Jordan would have been perfect teammates
The world saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of Michael Jordan as a teammate in ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary, and while some people couldn’t imagine playing with someone so ruthless and single-minded, that’s exactly what LeBron James dreams of doing.
James expounded on his MJ feelings in a video posted on his Uninterrupted YouTube channel on Monday. While talking with Maverick Carter and host Paul Rivera, he said that he thinks he would have been a perfect teammate for Jordan.
"Me personally, the way I play the game — team first — I feel like my best assets work perfectly with Mike,” James said, via ESPN. “Mike is an assassin. When it comes to playing the game of basketball, scoring the way he scored the ball, [then] my ability to pass, my ability to read the game plays and plays and plays in advance."
James really feels like their individual styles of play would have melded well together on the court, and has even imagined himself in Scottie Pippen’s role during the Bulls’ championship years.
"I saw the things [Pippen] was able to do with Mike. I just think it would've been a whole nother level," James said. "Pip was one of my favorite players ... It would've been a whole nother level with me being a point forward, with me being that point forward alongside of him during those Chicago runs."
As a teammate, Jordan was a legendary taskmaster who demanded the best out of his teammates at all times. James would have had to deal with Jordan at his most demanding during the Chicago Bulls’ championship runs, but he thinks he would thrive in that kind of environment.
"I love when a teammate comes to me and challenges me," James said. "When I was in Miami, D [Wade] used to come to me and be like, 'All right, [No.] 6, let's go.' [Former coach Tyronn] Lue used to challenge me a lot when I was in Cleveland. He was like, 'All right, Bron, what you waiting on?' I see that from Mike, and I feel like our games were a perfect correlation to be successful."
That’s not to say that James only dreams of playing with Jordan on the same team. He still imagines competing against Jordan at his peak, just like he would with any of the NBA’s all-time greats.
No I didn’t say I envisioned MJ as a teammate not an adversary. A question was asked “Do I think I could have been a teammate of his and compliment his game”. I love the greats and would have loved to play with them all during their runs because I a historian of the game but https://t.co/PxCv4EBydM
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 19, 2020
I also would die to compete vs every single one of them too! Don’t ever get it twisted! 👑. Nevertheless MJ Thank You for being my angel, inspiration, superhero!! 💐 💐
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 19, 2020
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