The NBA demands incredible amounts of fitness to stay consistent through the course of an 82-game regular season. The athletes are required to be at their utmost physical strength to take down tough opponents and have the stamina to have a lasting impact throughout the game. One such game that requires immense levels of strength and determination is MMA. Back in 2017, popular UFC commentator Joe Rogan named one NBA legend who could take down the whole MMA world and it isn’t Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal.

UFC icon Joe Rogan believed that everyone in the MMA world would be distraught if a basketball superstar decided to step inside the octagon. Shaquille O’Neal is often associated with WWE and MMA battles due to his massive physique. The Los Angeles Lakers legend is 7’1 tall and weighed 325Lbs during his NBA days. Thus, he could have been a top gun to take down his opponents in the MMA. But, he was not Rogan’s first choice.

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Meanwhile, Michael Jordan is known to be the fiercest competitor the league has known. Thus, he also could have been a prime contender to become an undefeated MMA champion. However, Rogan felt that there was another basketball superstar who could ace any MMA champion if he stepped inside the ring.

Rogan chooses LeBron over Shaquille O’Neal and MJ

During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan stated, “Well, see a guy like that [LeBron], if he was fighting, everybody would be fu***d.”

Further, Rogan suggested that the MMA stars were extremely lucky that LeBron James got interested in basketball and became a superstar in the NBA. The UFC commentator reckoned that LeBron was a winner and he was capable of doing anything that he wanted to do.

“They’re lucky. They’re g**d**n lucky there’s so much money in basketball,” he added.

Rogan commends James’ winning attitude

Rogan reckoned that the way LeBron James was physically built gave him an unfathomable advantage against his opponents. The four-time NBA champ is 6’9 tall and weighs 250lbs. Thus, Joe Rogan felt that messing with James could have been a bad idea for the MMA community.

James has established himself as one of the all-time greats in the NBA. He is close to becoming the highest scorer in NBA soon, surpassing the Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He has emerged as a generational player in the league since his arrival in 2003.

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Hence, Rogan felt that James’ winning attitude could have made him better than the best MMA fighters if he had chosen UFC over the NBA.