"The GOAT and some bald dude": Fans react after old video of Michael Jordan's embrace with LeBron James resurfaces

With the offseason still ongoing, a throwback video of Michael Jordan sharing a warm embrace with LeBron James has resurfaced, capturing the attention of fans. The league assembled its 75th Anniversary Team during the milestone 2022 season, featuring Jordan and James, two of the most frequently mentioned names in greatest of all time debates.

Forty-five players from the list gathered in Cleveland for the halftime ceremony of the 2022 All-Star Game. During the event, the two NBA legends shared a moment, which recently resurfaced after being reposted by @BronMuse on X (formerly Twitter).

One fan joked about the interaction:

“The 🐐 (GOAT) and some bald dude,” as posted by @RedickGotNext.

Another fan, @minn2la, joined in the fun, saying:

“The goat and a gambler telling him not to sell his parlay.”

Fans used the moment to take jabs at LeBron James:

“The GOAT & some dude that built superteams to start winning titles,” tweeted @urgoatisafraud.

“MJ and a fan,” added @recom62881683.

Ex-NBA player claims LeBron James wanted to surpass Michael Jordan as early as 2005

Rashad McCants, who played four seasons in the NBA, shared on "Gil’s Arena" a story about a young LeBron James. In the story, James allegedly declared boldly his intentions to surpass Michael Jordan as No. 23 in front of veteran NBA players.

According to McCants, this occurred after the 2005 season. He didn’t specify whether it was after the 2004-05 season, when the Cavaliers finished with a 42-40 record, or after the 2005-06 season when they improved to 50-32 and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"A bunch of motherf***ers were at the table, and Bron just happened to say some s**t randomly: ‘I'm trying to make that other number 23 disappear,’” McCants said.

“The guy who told me looked up, glanced at everyone else at the table, and said, 'Good luck, young fella.' Now here we are."

LeBron James has worn the No. 23 jersey in 15 of his 21 NBA seasons, and this will increase to 16 out of 22 when he suits up for the Lakers this season. In his 21 seasons in the league, he has averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists and has been selected to play in 20 All-Star games. He has won four MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards and four NBA championships.

Meanwhile, Michael Jordan played 15 seasons, averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals and earning 14 All-Star selections. He won the Rookie of the Year award, one Defensive Player of the Year award, five MVP awards, six Finals MVP awards and six NBA championships.