TJ Ford: LeBron James can go in the same room. He can go in the same room as Michael Jordan. His impact around the world is the same as Michael Jordan. It looks different, but it’s the same. LeBron James has done the same things that Michael Jordan has done. When it came down to the collective bargaining agreement, Michael Jordan helped change the financial stability for us athletes. LeBron James did that coming in. LeBron James is a huge part of the success of why we’re making a lot of money and why guys are now making $50–60 million. He cut the contracts down, so he was so far ahead of the curve in knowing the business of basketball for himself that he changed the landscape of our contracts. He changed the landscape of the amount of money we were signing for. So, his impact, if we put it all in a box, to talk about his impact not only on the basketball court but on the business side of basketbal.” -via YouTube / September 15, 2024
