"Mike didn't want to risk LeBron getting hurt" - when Michael Jordan didn't let LeBron James play in a pick-up game

It's a well-known fact that LeBron James grew up as a fan of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. Ever since he was a young basketball prodigy from Akron, Ohio, LeBron looked up to Jordan and wanted to be just like him. So when he was invited to play in a pick-up game with Jordan and several NBA players, it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, as Jordan prohibited LeBron from playing for fear that he would get injured against the larger, more physical NBA guys.

Oakley as mentor

It is much less known and perhaps even shocking to many NBA fans that Charles Oakley, a bruising enforcer during his heyday, became a mentor to LeBron in the early stages of his career. In his book entitled "The Last Enforcer," Oakley talked about how he took the teenager under his wing when he was just a junior in high school. Even though LeBron was still a youngster, his game was already so ahead of his peers that many speculated he could even play in the Association at that point in time.

"After we met, I became like a big brother to him. He looked up to Michael, and I knew I could help him get to know Mike. When LeBron was a junior in high school, Michael and I invited him to come to Chicago to watch us play pick-up. The run was at Attack Athletics, a place owned by Michael's personal trainer Tim Grover," said Oakley in the book.