LeBron James’ Relationship with Kobe Bryant Was ‘Always Competitive.’ Then This Happened.

LeBron James is getting candid about his friendship with Kobe Bryant.

On Wednesday, March 26, the NBA legend joined The Pat McAfee Show for a lengthy interview on his career, viral confrontation with Stephen A. Smith and relationships with a few other basketball greats — including his late friend Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 at 41.

As James explained, he and the former Laker "never had a real relationship" until they spent some time on the court together — and their bond grew beyond its competitive origins when they each reached a pair of major milestones in their respective careers.

"Until I became a Laker and he retired, that's when our relationship became like really, really good," James, 40, recalled. "He welcomed me. He called me, like, 'Bro anything you need in L.A., I got you. You a Laker now, you family.' We would have multiple conversations. Obviously, you saw him coming to a lot of games, things of that nature."

"And when I passed him in the scoring record in Philly, I think he had a tweet out there like, 'Keep on going, keep transcending the game...' That s--- meant so much to me," James added of Bryant's final tweet in January 2020, when he acknowledged James passing him on the all-time scoring list.

James first signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 — two years after Bryant retired from the NBA. As he told host Pat McAfee, there were a few other moments that also strengthened his relationship with Bryant — many of which took place on the court.

"We was on the Olympic team, we had a great relationship there," James said of their experiences teaming up in both 2008 and 2012. "But it was always competitive between us. We were always like, I was on the east coast, he was on the west coast."

James also reflected on nearly being able to face off against Bryant during the 2009 NBA Finals — although his then-Cleveland Cavaliers ended up losing the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic, missing the opportunity for a James-Bryant championship face-off.

"I f----- up one time in '09, I think it was '09, and didn't beat Orlando and didn't get an opportunity to play him in the finals," James said.

James' reflections came up as he also revealed what his relationship is like with Michael Jordan these days. While speaking with McAfee, the Lakers star revealed that they're in "a good spot."

"We don't talk," James said, adding that he believes it's because he's "still playing" in the NBA.

"We all know MJ. Even if you don't know him personally, he's one of the most ruthless competitors there is. 'Til I'm done and he doesn't have to look at me run up and down wearing the number 23 and every time my name is mentioned, it's mentioned with his. He's like, 'I don't want to f------ talk to you," James joked.

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James has previously shared memories of his late friend Bryant, doing so after a series victory in September 2020, when he told reporters what it was like to get Bryant's approval after he joined the team.

"I do remember when I decided to come here, he sent me a text right away and said, ‘Welcome, brother. Welcome to the family,' " James said, per Yahoo Sports. "That was a special moment because, at the time, Laker faithful wasn’t [fully in on me]. A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we might not want LeBron at this point in his career,’ and, ‘Is he right? Is he going to get us back [to the Finals]?’"

"So to hear from him and get his stamp of approval, it meant a lot," James said. "I don’t ever question myself, but when it’s coming from Kobe, it definitely meant a lot."