LeBron James never had the opportunity to face Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals during his early years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, he’s opening up about why that matchup never came to fruition.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers shakes hands with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers on January 15, 2015. © Harry How/Getty ImagesLeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers shakes hands with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers on January 15, 2015.

LeBron James is currently enjoying the final years of his illustrious NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, during his early days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he came close to facing the California franchise in the NBA Finals when Kobe Bryant was still dominating the court. Now, Bron has opened up about why that highly anticipated matchup never took place.

In a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, LeBron revealed why he doesn’t speak with Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. He speculated that the ongoing comparisons between the two — fueled by his active career — might be the reason behind their lack of interaction. This comment led James to reflect on his bond with Bryant.

“The funny thing is, me and Kobe—the late, great Kobe, obviously—never had a real relationship either,” LeBron shared. “We were on the Olympic team, we had a great relationship there. The Olympic team in ’08, the Olympic team in ’12, but it was always competitive between us.”

LeBron then recalled a missed opportunity to face Bryant in the NBA Finals. “I was on the East Coast, and he was on the West Coast,” James remembered of his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I (expletive) up in ‘09, and we didn’t beat Orlando. I think it was ‘09. We didn’t get an opportunity to play him in the Finals.”

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade playing with Team USA during the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing.

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade playing with Team USA during the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing.

The Kobe vs. LeBron Finals that never happened

The Cleveland Cavaliers had never reached the NBA Finals until LeBron James entered the picture. After being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2003 Draft, he quickly became the team’s leader and guided them to the 2007 Finals, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Two years later, Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference Finals again, after knocking off the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. They faced the Orlando Magic, and with the series tied 1-1, the Cavaliers lost two straight home games, ultimately losing 4-2.

On the other side, Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers were on a mission to bounce back after falling short in the 2008 Finals against the Boston Celtics. Motivated by that defeat, Bryant led the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference, defeating the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets on their way to the NBA Finals. There, they dominated the Orlando Magic, winning the series 4-1.

The relationship between LeBron and Kobe

In the same interview, LeBron James discussed how his relationship with Kobe Bryant evolved over the years. “Until I became a Laker and he retired, that’s when our relationship really became strong,” Bron explained. “He welcomed me. He called me, like, ‘Bro, anything you need in L.A., I got you. You’re a Laker now. You’re family.’ We had multiple conversations.”

James also expressed how important Kobe’s support was to him during those years: “Obviously, you guys saw him coming to a lot of games. … And when I passed him for the scoring record in Philly, he had a tweet out there like, ‘Keep on going.’ Like, ‘Keep transcending the game. Keep going.’ And that (expletive) meant so much to me.”