NBC Sports pulled off a massive coup by announcing that Michael Jordan himself will be joining their coverage for the upcoming season. As expected, since then, there’s been one question on everyone’s mind: What will MJ have to say about the current crop of players? Does he believe basketball as a sport has improved since his days, and the general level of athletes has also gone up?

What about LeBron James and the most-itching debate in NBA history: who is the better player between LBJ and MJ? Well, there might finally be a breakthrough in that regard. NBA Insider Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson revealed the secret conversation that took place between Charles Oakley, Jason Williams, and Michael Jordan not too long ago.

“He (Jason Williams) appeared on Scoopy Radio back in the spring and shared with me that, you know, he and Charles Oakley spent some time with Michael on the golf course, and he talked about how Michael told him that LeBron would be relevant and active in today’s era,” Robinson said.

Even though this should’ve been enough assurance that MJ thinks highly of the Lakers’ superstar, Robinson decided to double down and confirm this story with Charles Oakley as well before dropping his interview.

Oakley’s answer? Well, he also confessed to the fact that Michael Jordan did indeed say that LeBron James is relevant in today’s era. “I called Charles Oakley and said, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know.’ He goes, ‘What did he say?’ Talking about Jason. He goes, ‘He said that that Michael said that LeBron would be relevant in the era.’ And Oakley said, ‘Yeah, he did say it.’” Robinson revealed.

For the longest time, the majority of people have believed that the NBA legend doesn’t like the Lakers star. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case after all. The NBA Insider further revealed according to Oakley, Jordan often is said to hate everyone, which he actually doesn’t. That’s a huge revelation, to say the least.

More so because of the harsh remarks that have come from a few former players from that era about James. While the 40-year-old has always publicly stated his admiration for the Chicago Bulls legend, he stated that he wears No. 23 after being inspired by Jordan– the former NBA stars have not given the Los Angeles Lakers superstar the same level of respect. But what does MJ feel?

Does Michael Jordan really think highly of LeBron James?

The Michael Jordan-LeBron James debate never truly ends. While the Akron native has several times attested to the fact that MJ has inspired him to play and that he’s learned a lot from the five-time NBA champion, Jordan has always swayed away from this debate. Even though he’s spoken highly of the Lakers forward on several occasions, he doesn’t want to compare James with himself.

Back in 2020, MJ addressed the comparisons and expressed his feelings about the ongoing debate. “I just think we played in different eras. He’s an unbelievable player,” Jordan said. “He’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. I know it’s a natural tendency to compare eras to eras, and it’s going to continue to happen. I’m a fan of his. I love watching him play.”

“But as you can see, our league is starting to expand with very talented players. I think he’s made his mark. He will continue to do so over a period of time, but when you start the comparisons, I think it is what it is. It’s just a stand-up measurement, and I take it with a grain of salt. He’s a heck of a basketball player without a doubt,” The Chicago Bulls star further added.

While the Hall of Famer did attest to the fact that James is a generational talent, he swayed away from comparisons. This isn’t the first time Jordan has lauded James, but hesitated from comparing himself with him; there have been several other incidents as well. Nonetheless, does indicate that MJ thinks highly of LeBron James, but does he consider the Lakers forward in the same league as him? We cannot say for sure.

However, we might be able to find that very soon, once MJ starts his broadcasting career on NBC.