CLEVELAND — LeBron James relished the 2022 NBA All-Star Game perhaps more than any other among his 18 career appearances.
It was in Cleveland, just north of his hometown of Akron, Ohio. His Team LeBron won the contest for the fifth consecutive season. His wife, children and mother were at the game, and James spent much of the weekend with his childhood friends. The win provided $450,000 for James’ I Promise Scholars Program.
And James made the winning shot, a fadeaway jumper he said was inspired by Michael Jordan.
Speaking of Jordan, James made time to greet Jordan at halftime when the league’s 76 greatest players were recognized for the NBA’s 75th anniversary season. James doesn’t address this topic often. The two don’t have a close relationship for reasons that are probably rooted in many competitive impulses. Maybe this is the beginning of a different relationship for the two.
“I did not want to lose the opportunity to shake the man’s hand that inspired me throughout my childhood,” James said. “I haven’t had much dialogue with him in my 20 years or 19 years in this business, but part of me wouldn’t be here without MJ’s inspiration. I always wanted to be like him growing up.
“It’s crazy that the game-winning shot tonight was a fadeaway, and it was inspired by MJ. The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove, how much he inspired me. I didn’t want to waste that opportunity because we’re just not…
