LeBron James: Meeting Michael Jordan Was Like Meeting God

After that game, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin asked James to put his historic accomplishment into words and the 1-minute 19-second answer he gave was nothing short of amazing.

Through his answer, we seen a different side of James than what we have grown accustomed to in his postgame news conferences over the years. This was not the man that once told a room full of NBA reporters that he was the “best player in the world.” This was the kid in James who displayed his utmost respect and humility towards his hero, Michael Jordan.

“Um, I think, first of all, you know, I wear the number because of Mike. I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just seeing what he was able to accomplish. But I felt like Mike was so — you know, when you’re growing up and you’re seeing Michael Jordan, it’s almost like a god. So I didn’t ever believe I could be Mike.

So I started to focus myself on other players and other people around my neighborhood, because I never thought you could get to a point where Mike was. So I think that helped shape my game. And I think the biggest thing for me, sitting here today after breaking the all-time scoring record in playoff history, is that I did it just being me.

I don’t have to score the ball to make an impact in the basketball game, and that was my mindset when I started playing the game. I was like, ‘If I’m not scoring the ball, how can I still make an impact on the game?’

And it’s carried me all the way to this point now, and it’s going to carry me for the rest of my career, because scoring is not No. 1 on my agenda.”