As a teen, Michael Jordan was 'unguardable' for LeBron James while competing against him.

This past December, LeBron James turned 40, while Michael Jordan will celebrate his 62nd birthday next month.

During the 2002-03 season, Jordan played in 82 games with the Washington Wizards, marking his final year in the NBA. At the same time, James was chosen as the top overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Despite not facing off against Jordan in an NBA game, James recently recounted a story about playing a pick-up game with him.

James revealed to brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce that he was a 16-year-old high school basketball standout when he crossed paths with Jordan in Chicago for the pick-up game.

During a recent podcast appearance, James stated that he was on the court with Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Ron Artest, Michael Finley, and other players.

James, who will be guarding Travis during the divisional round game against the Houston Texans this weekend, was eventually asked by Travis who was responsible for the task.

"Nobody. I was unguardable," James confidently responded.

James confessed that he felt some anxiety when he discovered he was facing off against a renowned NBA player.

"As soon as I emerged, I exclaimed, 'I'm going to lose my mind!' I was terrified. I was terrified out of my wits, standing alongside MJ and the rest of them. But I thought, 'I'm going to go insane.' And I did," James said.

Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, last appeared in an NBA game in 2017, but he was 20 during the time the pick-game took place. He recalled the moment during a May 2024 appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George's "Podcast P with Paul George."

He was already famous and well-known, and he was larger than everyone else in the gym. Artest stated, 'I knew he was coming into the gym, so I was excited to see what he had in store for us.'

"He is 15 or 16 and is cooking. Posting, he gets to the basket. I'm thinking, "This is going to be a huge issue.""

Artest added that the situation left him motivated.

"Seeing him motivated me. I was inspired by his actions. I felt like I had to go to work. He's a talented player. I wasn't like that at 15."

This season, James is averaging 23.7 points per game in his 22nd year in the league, and he has been named an NBA All-Star 20 times, a league MVP four times, and an NBA champion four times.

On Wednesday night, the Lakers were inactive and will host the Miami Heat on Thursday night.

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