Following his 1998 retirement, Michael Jordan would host offseason summer workouts with fellow pros.
They were loaded with NBA talent, including Antoine Walker, who played alongside Jordan on the 1998 Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Jordan invited a number of pros to his summer workouts in ’98Getty
Walker, who won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006, recently spoke about the different rules His Airness put in place for athletes in attendance at his summer camps on the ‘Forgotten Seasons’ podcast.
Former Boston Celtic Walker revealed that the players would eat at Jordan’s nearby restaurant and were allowed to leave on weekends.
However, Air Jordan had strict rules when it came to drinking, and didn’t want players mixing their drinks with chasers because of the sugar in them — which he thought was bad for the players.
“MJ had the restaurant that was directly across from the gym, same parking lot,” Walker explained.
“We would leave the gym and go right up to the restaurant, and eat, and break bread together. You were with guys for 6-8 hours, man.
“Everything that man went through was all with the fellas, with the guys, working out, getting our bodies together, even to the point where we drink.
“He had a rule: ‘Look, we’re going to drink, no juice, all straight vodka. Like, ‘We ain’t going to mess these workouts up.’ You know what I’m saying?
“If you want to drink, if you want to have your drink, we’re going straight. No juice. Drink or don’t drink. You know what I mean?
“That’s what made it special. Everybody got held accountable. On the weekends, you do what you’re going to do, but Monday through Thursday, it’s check-in time. Everybody put that work in. You were going to be at the gym all day long.”
A 16-year-old LeBron was in attendance at Jordan’s summer campYouTube@forgottenseasonsnba
Walker says MJ had one strict rule when it came to drinking – no sugarYouTube@forgottenseasonsnba
Walker also revealed that a 16-year-old LeBron James participated in those summer workouts.
Back then King James was a relatively unknown high schooler, and still some years away from being ordained as ‘The Chosen One’ by Sports Illustrated.
Walker revealed a teenage LeBron tried to get on the court with MJ and the seasoned veterans but had to wait his turn.
“I was watching MJ return to the court, with Ron Artest guarding him,” Walker went on.
“[Ron] Artest cracked Jordan’s rib just trying to defend him with the intensity that was required back then. I remember LeBron coming up there, but he couldn’t even get in a game. It was that competitive. Granted, he was young, around 16 or 17, but the competition was fierce. We were at UCLA, and there were 30 pros on the court.”
James once recalled the first time he ever met the six-time Finals MVP.
He was so in awe of His Airness that he swore he was levitating.
“I think it was my junior year in high school I go up to Chicago and I go to a gym called Hoops where he plays basketball in the summertime,” The King remembered.
“I didn’t know he was going to be there. But I [saw] him walking towards me and it was kind of like he was walking on air. I had to pinch myself. Is that Michael? He was like Black Jesus to me.”
Two years later, LeBron and MJ met again when James was back in Chicago working out and Jordan pulled up in a red Ferrari.
LeBron is in the greatest of all time discussion with JordanGetty
From that point on, James and Jordan’s relationship remained respectful but distant.
From the outside looking in, there was a clear rivalry as Jordan kept LeBron at arm’s length while The King did his best to eclipse MJ’s legacy.
But at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, James and Jordan’s paths crossed again as they were recognized for the NBA’s 75th anniversary season.
James made the winning shot in the game, a fadeaway jumper he said was inspired by Jordan.
He wasn’t about to let the opportunity to meet his childhood idol pass him by, and the pair embraced in a short but powerful moment.
“I did not want to lose the opportunity to shake the man’s hand that inspired me throughout my childhood,” James said.
“I haven’t had much dialogue with him in my 20 years or 19 years in this business, but part of me wouldn’t be here without MJ’s inspiration. I always wanted to be like him growing up.
“It’s crazy that the game-winning shot tonight was a fadeaway, and it was inspired by MJ,” he went on.
“The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove, how much he inspired me. I didn’t want to waste that opportunity because we’re just not in — we’re not in the same building a lot and haven’t been in the same building a lot throughout my career.
