Much has often been made of the transition between eras from Michael Jordan to LeBron James, with one retiring just before the other entered the league. Over the years, there have been a handful of interactions between the two legends, and now, details about one of them have become public, thanks to a key witness.

“We was in Chicago, and we had this run,” 5-time All-Star Tim Hardaway revealed during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “Tim Grove had this run. It was Michael, Scotty, myself, Antoine Walker, and a lot of other guys in there. And they was like, ‘Yeah, LeBron coming today.'”

According to Hardaway, James was still in high school at the time, and had just gotten out of a cast a week early for a wrist injury, doing so to make his way to the gym in Chicago for a star-studded game. Tim Grove, Jordan‘s longtime trainer, organized invite-only games for some of the most talented players around, and James getting the invite was expected.

At this point, the man who would eventually be known as the King was the most well-known prospect in the nation, and immediately, he made his mark on the game.

“He came down on a fast break and it was like a three-on-two, and we was going to see what he was going to do,” Hardaway explained. “I had the front, somebody had the back, and we went and tried not to so he wouldn’t pass. He took off from the free throw line. He just took off.”

It was at that moment that James made his mark on everyone there. The Golden State Warriors legend acknowledged that despite all the hype behind James, he didn’t know the forward was was that good, especially with the nerves of playing in front of Jordan affecting him.

LeBron James’ Version Shows 16-Year-Old Who Refused to Wait His Turn

There have been many recollections of the infamous pickup game between the two over the years, most notably by Metta Sandiford-Artest, who backed up Hardaway’s version of events. However, the discussion really began when LeBron James himself addressed the game during an appearance on the New Heights podcast.

“First of all, MJ, Antoine Walker, and the rest of those guys did not let young guys get on the court at all,” James told Travis and Jason Kelce. “I was 16 years old, a sophomore in high school, and it takes a while to get on the court. It’s usually when the older guys get tired and don’t want to play anymore.”

Eventually, the door opened when Grove pushed for him to get a chance to compete, and once he stepped onto the floor, there was no easing in. When asked about which of the vets picked him up defensively, James was brief in his answer: “Nobody – I was un-guardable.”

This kind of quote usually sounds exaggerated, but with Sandiford-Artest and Hardaway backing him up over the years, perhaps his arrival into the league began right there, in the pickup runs in Chicago.