The social media calls out LBJ for lying about being “unguardable” in a pickup game with MJ

LeBron James recently discussed the legendary pickup game against Michael Jordan and other pros on the New Heights podcast. “King James” revealed to Travis and Jason Kelce that he was unguardable in these private runs as a 16-year-old. However, the Internet always keeps receipts and some call caps on the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s claims.

It did not take long for social media to react

One user pulled up an excerpt of James’ autobiography, “LeBron,” written by Jeff Benedict. In it, the four-time NBA MVP admitted he did fine but not exactly “unguardable,” as he avowed. He supposedly struggled on defense, made a couple of shots, and did not even get on the court with MJ.

LeBron ended up guarding Jerry Stackhouse, who made a point of taking him to the hole, demonstrating that LeBron wasn’t ready to defend at this level. And Antoine Walker talked shit the whole time, giving LeBron a taste of what he was in for in the NBA.

But LeBron maintained his poise. Although he had trouble guarding guys on defense, he was able to get up and down with them on offense, making several impressive passes and knocking down a couple of shots. It was a tremendous confidence boost to receive a pass from an NBA great and turn it into a bucket.

In his journal, he quickly summarized his experience in Chicago:

“I didn’t get to play with Mike, but I did get some run with a lot of the other NBA guys, and I talked to Jordan a little bit. He didn’t really give me any advice; he just told me to keep my head on straight. We all went out to dinner at his restaurant – the steak and mashed potatoes were tight.”

Pathological liar?

As the excerpt shows, what James told the Kelces and what supposedly happened do not add up. If he were “unguardable,” he would have made more than just a few shots. “The Chosen One” also mentioned “being out there” with the Chicago Bulls legend on the podcast, which directly contradicts what the book said. These seeming discrepancies drew strong reactions from the fans.

“This man is a pathological liar,” one X user commented.

“Classic LeCap at it again,” another wrote.

“He was cooking”

LeBron was born on December 30, 1984, and this was around the time Mike was planning a comeback with the Washington Wizards. That put the year at early to mid-2001 when ‘Bron was just 16 years old.

One prominent figure who claimed to be there was Metta Sandiford-Artest. However, “Ron-Ron” said James was fifteen at the time, which is a year off from the actual figure. Retired forward claimed that Bron was so good that young he could easily turn pro right that very moment.

“Well, everybody knew who he was. He was already famous. He was bigger than all of us in the gym,” Artest stated on Podcast P with Paul George. “Coming into the gym, I’m like, ‘I’m comin’ to see what he got.’ He was cooking. He was 15 or 16, posting (up), going to the basket, and I’m like, this gonna be a big issue.”

As far as Artest remembered, Bron played with Jordan and not against him.

“The time I played LeBron, I think he was on Mike’s team at one point, but I can’t quite remember everything,” Artest said.

“Michael wouldn’t let him”

So far, here’s what we got: The “LeBron” excerpt said LBJ didn’t get to play with Mike, but Bron claimed he did on the podcast. Meanwhile, Artest only remembered the 20-time All-Star playing on MJ’s team.

Now, here’s another version of the story that contradicts what was already outlined. In his book The Last Enforcer, Charles Oakley asserts that the Akron native didn’t get to play at all because “His Airness” said so.

“LeBron brought his stuff and wanted to play, but Michael wouldn’t let him. It would have been fun to see LeBron as a junior in high school going up against a legend like Jordan, but Mike didn’t want to risk LeBron getting hurt playing against NBA players,” Oak said.

It’s hard to pinpoint what happened with all these disagreeing elements. LeBron and Artest may be discussing two different occasions and games, while Oakley may have meant another. As Charles said, LBJ may never have gotten into the court the first time, but he was eventually given the green light.

Then, playing for the first time against elite competition level, he may have initially groped for form, as the book described. Eventually, James may have found his comfort zone, leading to stellar moments against the pros.

As Ron pointed out, this took place nearly 24 years ago, so the persons involved may have confused some details. Unless someone had a camcorder capturing every moment from start to finish, the truth will always be up for debate.