What Michael Beasley said that made LeBron James ‘walk away’ in 2008, LA Lakers star still helped him

At the time, Beasley was just 19 years old. Evidently, he had immense confidence in his skills. So much so that Beasley didn’t back away from talking trash against LeBron James.

Michael Beasley on his first meeting with LeBron James

By 2008, James was already viewed as one of the best players in the NBA. While LBJ has always been viewed as an all-around star, he showcased his scoring prowess in the previous season.

After all, James led the league in scoring during the 2007-08 season with 30.0 points per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fast forward to Beasley’s first meeting with the King, he narrated the story during an appearance on 3s & Ones.

“He came to me, he said, ‘Are you ready?’ and my exact words were, ‘Are YOU ready?’ Nothing more, nothing less. He looked at me up and down and walked away. I was like, ‘S___,’” Beasley said.

“I was hurt and I just knew never to do that s___ again,” he added.

Prior to this revelation, Beasley mentioned he was a huge LBJ fan. In fact, he wore his signature shoes all the time. However, when the 19-year-old Beasley met James, he seemingly upset the then-Cavs star.

Michael Beasley on how LeBron James is like a person

After finishing the story of meeting the King for the first time, Beasley then talked about the biggest misconception about the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

“If you think LeBron James is an a______ that means you need to look in the mirror. … When I played with him in Miami, for like three years straight, at the end of every season, he called me to his house.

“He just dumped his shoes. Me and him are the same size. … He was like, ‘Little bro, come pick up [the shoes],’” Beasley stated.

Despite being hurt by the incident on his draft night, Beasley respects James, and underneath all that, he’s a fan of the Lakers star, like millions of others out there.