'Take It Easy on the Kid': The Secret Phone Call Michael Jordan Once Made to Protect LeBron James

The “this” referred to the 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics’ semifinals. Postgame, 25-year-old Bron took off his jersey before reaching the tunnel, flipping it off to an attendant as he entered the locker room.

Cav’s playoff elimination and Bron’s behaviour primed the media to grill him eventually. But before the heat could land on him, the sport’s biggest name, in Wilbon’s language, “His Airness”, already made his move.

MJ’s phone call changed the almost inevitable outcome. But given his own past experiences, it was pretty clear why he felt the need to intervene.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James’ Similar Past

As Wilbon mentioned, Jordan didn’t “have” to do what he did. But “he understood what was going to go on publicly. Because he’d been on the other end of that early in his career.” And this dated back to a similar narrative.

Before rising to be the 6x NBA champion, Jordan too was a man who swallowed six years of playoff heartbreak in Chicago. He, too, was the “guy who couldn’t beat Detroit three times. Lost to the Pistons in a row… in the playoffs.”

Naturally, he understood the “despair in the playoffs.” And being in a position where he could help, MJ only “wanted to soften that blow for LeBron James, who was coming up later.”