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LeBron was a fanboy when he first met MJ: 'He was Black Jesus to me'

Juan Ocampo / National Basketball Association / Getty

LeBron James has interacted with thousands of star athletes and celebrities over the course of his life in the spotlight. Of all those encounters, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar says meeting Michael Jordan for the first time was a rare moment that changed his life forever.

"When I met Michael Jordan for the first time, I literally couldn't believe it was him. I couldn't believe it. The dude looked like Jesus Christ," James said Monday during an appearance on UNINTERRUPTED's "WRTS: After Party."

"He was Black Jesus to me, nobody could tell me anything different.

James got that chance to meet Jordan in Chicago while he was still a high school sophomore starring at St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2001.

"I didn't think Michael Jordan was real," James added. "I only thought he lived in the TV, either in games, or commercials, or 'Come Fly With Me' on cassette tapes."

Two years later during his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James had the opportunity to play with Jordan during scrimmages at his childhood idol's basketball camp in Santa Barbara, California.

Based on how James retells that experience, you wouldn't have wanted to be on the teams going up against the star-studded duo.

"The camp would end, he would let the kids watch the first game around 8:30 and then he'd have all the kids leave and we would stay along with the college kids he would invite to the camp as well," James said. "I was on a team with MJ and we didn't lose a game."

While the pair only scrimmaged as teammates, James couldn't help but imagine what it would've been like if they had competed side-by-side on the same NBA team.

"Me, personally, the way I play the game - when it comes to team-first - I feel like my best assets work perfectly with Mike," James said. "I saw the things (Scottie Pippen) was able to do with Mike ... I just think it would've been a whole 'nother level with me being that point forward alongside him during those Chicago runs."

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