“When Your Idols Are Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway…”: 6’9″ LeBron James Was Crushed After Doctor’s Prognosis About His Height

A Doctor’s prediction once scared an 11-year-old LeBron James to death. As it turns out, he told the young basketball prodigy from Akron, Ohio that he would grow up to be only 6’3″ in height. As a result, LeBron James started questioning his stellar career as an NBA forward in the future.

Born in 1984, James grew up watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dominating the NBA. In fact, he always dreamed of emulating Jordan’s feat in the NBA and being a superstar himself. In hindsight, he is arguably the closest player to the Bulls legend in terms of career accomplishments.

However, King James’ dream of becoming the greatest basketball player in the world faced a huge question mark following a routine medical examination. The Doctor’s height prediction hurled LeBron into a state of uncertainty regarding his career despite comfortably passing the medical exam.

A Doctor’s height prediction had LeBron James worried about his career

Growing up in the 90s, James knew the importance of height in basketball. In fact, all his heroes in the league qualified a certain height threshold.

“When your idols are Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway, you’re like [expletive],” said the four-time NBA champion in an interview. “You’re looking on the back of basketball cards and it says M.J. 6-6, Penny Hardaway 6-71/2, Grant Hill 6-8, you’re like, ‘I’m only going to be 6-3? Golly. My dreams are shattered.'”

At 11 years old, James was about 5’7″. Soon after, he would undergo a growth spurt. In fact, the Lakers legend would go on to be 6 feet in junior high, and 6’3″ by the time he finished his freshman year.

Read More: After Eating Punches and Knees From Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan Pi**ed Him Off by ?Doing the Same Sh*t He Would Do?

As of now, the four-time NBA MVP stands at a whopping 6’9″ tall with a weight of about 250 pounds.

LeBron as a 6’3″ NBA player

The league has evolved dramatically over the last decade. Small guards like Stephen Curry and Trae Young have dominated the NBA with their sharp shooting and playmaking abilities.

Players like Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose have proved that athleticism is not contingent on height. Therefore, LeBron James doesn’t believe that he would have faced a lot of difficulty in the league if he was 6’3″.

Watch this Story: Stephen Curry and Wife Ayesha Spend A Whopping 7 Figure Amount To Buy A 4 Bedroom House In Florida

However, he would certainly have to rely more on his basketball IQ, playmaking skills, and shooting abilities.

Do you think LeBron James would be as effective at 6’3″ as he is now? Let us know in the comment box.