‘Prophet’: NBA fans react to high school LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan prediction of his own greatness

LeBron James has continually expressed his deep respect for Michael Jordan and considers him a major source of inspiration.

Michael Jordan not only earned LeBron’s intense admiration, he was considered by him to be the greatest player of all time.

As a kid, LeBron idolized Jordan and considered him a god. As a growing basketball enthusiast, he found himself in awe of Jordan’s skills and abilities.

Interestingly, one of LeBron’s comments to Michael Jordan as a teenager ended up predicting his own future success.

This prediction was written in the SLAM Diary in 2002, when LeBron was still a high school student, commenting on Jordan’s comeback with the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

LeBron praised Jordan’s ability to still average more than 25 points per game at age 38, admiringly declaring, “There’s more support for him than anybody right now.”

Recently, NBA recognition enthusiasts took to social media platforms to highlight the truth of those words, acknowledging LeBron’s early Jordan prowess as a harbinger of his own illustrious career.

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Former Lakers champion names Kobe Bryant greatest NBA player

Former Los Angeles Lakers champion Trevor Ariza asserts that Kobe Bryant, not LeBron James or Michael Jordan, is the player in NBA history.

Ariza made this statement with unique insight, having played with both Bryant and James at different points in their NBA careers.

His connection with Kobe began when the Orlando Magic traded him to the Lakers during the 2007-08 season. His tenure lasted until the 2008-09 season, culminating in a memorable championship win.

Fast forward to the final NBA season in 2021-22, and Ariza finds himself on the court with James. He played 24 regular season games for the Lakers.

At this time, his career was nearing the end, and his performance of only 4 points per game did not leave much impression.

Ariza’s time on the court with Kobe was obviously more memorable, as he played a major role in the Lakers’ victory over the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals during the 2008-09 season.

Throughout the season, he played 82 regular games, averaging 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

His field goal percentage and three-point shooting percentage were 46.0 and 31.9 respectively.

His strong performance against his former team, the Magic, in the championship series is particularly noteworthy.

Ariza averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game and shot 41.7% from the three-point line.

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