NBA legend Michael Jordan is one of the most popular athletes ever. He helped popularize the game of basketball and substantially enhanced the NBA’s market share all around the world. Fans around the world loved the underdog story of Jordan not making the varsity team and then becoming the world champion that he is. MJ changed the sneaker culture around the world as well. Even though he has been retired for around two decades now, his popularity has still not waned. A survey intended to find out the most popular athlete in the country in 2015 proved it. However, His Airness once predicted his potential defeat to LeBron James simply because of temporal factors.

Jordan received the most votes and was deemed The Harris Poll’s most popular athlete of 2015. Baseball great Babe Ruth came in second while Boxing great Muhammad Ali was third. When asked about it, MJ gave a very humble and interesting answer comparing himself with LeBron James.

Michael Jordan on being voted the most popular athlete of 2015

During an interview with Marvin R. Shanken for Cigar Aficionado in 2017, Michael Jordan talked about a variety of topics from his career to his personal life. During the sit-down, Shanken asked Jordan about winning the most popular athlete award in 2015. MJ underlined the fact that he was the youngest of the top three athletes with the most votes. He then added that LeBron James might beat him to the award after, well, a couple of decades.

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Jordan stated, “So when you sit there and you say I was voted the most popular athlete, it’s ironic that I’m the youngest of the three. So in essence it’s all related to who is watching now. If you ask 20 years from now, I’m pretty sure LeBron [James] may beat me.”

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MJ argued that he won the award because many fans would have watched him play but might not have watched Babe Ruth or Muhammad Ali perform. The Chicago Bulls legend then stated that he can’t give an opinion about awards like this. He further added that he always just tried to be the best athlete he possibly can.

LeBron James’ growing popularity

NBA superstar LeBron James is one of the best players ever. He is someone who is always in the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan. After MJ, James has been one of the most popular athletes in the world. He has millions of followers from around the world on social media. The Los Angeles Lakers forward has more than 139 million followers on Instagram and over 52 million followers on Twitter.

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While Jordan does not have a social media handle, it is safe to say James is the most popular among the two now. However, the popularity of the five-time MVP cannot be underestimated. Moreover, the current internet generation is well-informed about MJ’s prowess, especially after the release of The Last Dance docuseries.

Do you think Michael Jordan is more popular than LeBron James? Let us know in the comments section.