King James and Air Jordan Share a Moment

Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player ever. LeBron James is making a run at that title. And in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs, Air Jordan and King James were on a collision course: the Jordan-owned Charlotte Bobcats faced LeBron's Miami Heat in the first round.

The series wasn't even close. The Heat defeated the Cats last night, 109-98, to sweep Charlotte out of the postseason. But fans at Time Warner Cable Arena got a nice consolation prize when Jordan and LeBron shared a moment together after the end of the game.

That's them shaking hands at the top of the page. But earlier in the series, it looked like LeBron was sending His Airness a less friendly message during a dunk:




For his part, LBJ denied staring down Jordan. “No, no. Don’t start that. Absolutely not, man. Absolutely not,” he said after Game 3. “I was able to read [Josh] McRoberts, get a steal and push the lead back up. I absolutely didn’t look at MJ, for sure.”

Earlier this season, Jordan kinda-sortatold the Associated Press that LeBron was the best player in basketball. "It’s hard to pick. It’s hard to say the best player. You would have to say LeBron because of what he’s capable of doing. Kobe is coming off an injury and you don’t know where he is going to be at his age. I would have to say LeBron."

So it sounds like there's some respect on both sides — even if it is a bit grudging.

Who do you think is the greatest basketball player of all time? Let us know in the comments section below!

Photo: StreeterLecka/Getty Images