LeBron James opens up on relationship with idol Michael Jordan - ESPN

Michael Jordan went from being LeBron James' childhood idol to now, in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, the basketball figure whose James' résumé is most often judged against.

James opened up about the current relationship between him and Jordan as part of a long-ranging interview that aired Wednesday on «The Pat McAfee Show.»

While James characterized their dynamic as being in «a good spot,» he admitted there is distance between them.

«We don't talk,» James said during the 75-minute interview that was taped at McAfee's studio outside Indianapolis on Tuesday. «Because I'm still playing. I'm still playing, I'm still focused on my craft right now.»

James said, «I would hope so,» when asked if he believed a rapport could blossom between him and Jordan after the Los Angeles Lakers star retires — similarly to the way James became closer to Kobe Bryant after Bryant finished his playing career.

«The funny thing is, me and Kobe — the late, great Kob, obviously — me and Kobe never had a real relationship either,» James said. «We were on the [USA] Olympic team, we had a great relationship there. The Olympic team in '08, the Olympic team in '12, but it was always competitive between us. We were always like, I was on the East Coast, he was on the West Coast, and it was like even though… in '09 and we didn't beat Orlando and didn't get an opportunity to play him in the Finals [there was a competitive friction].»

James said that first began to change in 2016 when Bryant retired and it continued to evolve when James signed with L.A. as a free agent in the summer of 2018.

«That's when our relationship became really, really good,» James said. «He welcomed me. He called me, like, 'Bro, anything you need in L.A., I got you. You're