When LeBron James Defied Michael Jordan's 'Assured' Strategy to Guard Him

When the ascendancy of LeBron James became a headache for the rival NBA franchises, Michael Jordan came to their rescue. Upon dissecting the then-Miami Heat star’s gameplay, MJ formulated a theory on how to contain him. However, James swiftly overcame this challenge from his idol, rendering the latter’s hypothesis null.

The 4x MVP picked the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals as the grandest stage to highlight the theory’s shortcomings. While the Indiana Pacers followed MJ’s advice word by word, James utilized their plan against them to succeed in Game 1.

During the closing moments of the clash, the opposition lined up to collectively prevent the 4x champion from driving to his right. However, it created a massive open space on James’ left, despite being tightly marked by Paul Geroge. He capitalized on this opportunity to drive to the rim to score a game-winning left-handed layup.

This defied Jordan’s theory, which heavily relied on forcing James to his left by any means possible. MJ even extensively spoke about this during his February 2013 interview with ESPN The Magazine, stating, “So if I have to guard him, I’m gonna push him left so 9 times out of 10, he’s gonna shoot a jump shot. If he goes right, he’s going to the hole and I can’t stop him. So I ain’t letting him go right”.

Soon after this statement started making rounds, James showed the world the limitations of this hypothesis. A few days after MJ’s interview aired, the Heat star scored an outcome-defining left-handed layup against the Orlando Magic. So, his memorable endeavors against the Pacers merely mimicked this previous instance, prompting him to declare, “That theory is wrong, I guess”.

This entire sequence of events recently resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter). It consequently garnered the attention of the NBA fans, making them remember the obstacles James had to overcome to cement his legacy.

To this day, the true intentions of Jordan’s statement remain unknown. Several viewers thought MJ had genuinely aimed at helping out the Heat’s rival franchises. Whereas, the timing of his comments alongside the simplicity behind them led to many believing that he just wanted to test James’ limits.

If the latter was the case, the 20x All-Star undoubtedly passed with flying colors. It probably also made MJ respect James’ competitive spirit more than earlier, planting the seeds for mutual admiration.

LeBron James continues to impress Michael Jordan

Since coming into the NBA, James had to prove himself at every step of the way. Yet, the Akron-born overcame those challenges continually to set new benchmarks in the league. This eventually aided in him receiving a nod of approval from his childhood hero, MJ.

The basketball community saw a glimpse of this when James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. Jordan made the Los Angeles Lakers star’s auspicious occasion unforgettable by allegedly congratulating him for the accomplishment.

As per TMZ Sports’ Michael J. Babcock, MJ sent James a message, stating, “Congratulations to LeBron on this incredible achievement. It’s a testament to his hard work, longevity, and his great skill”.

This highlighted the closeness between the two all-time greats of the game. They have certainly never let the constant noise from the outside decide the direction of their bond, adding to its unique and distinctive nature.