Video: Christian Pulisic Says Being Called LeBron James of Soccer is 'Funny Meme'

Team USA and AC Milan star Christian Pulisic says it's "funny" to hear fans call him "the LeBron James of soccer."

"I've heard it a lot. When we were in Saudi, a random kid shouted it to me, but that's just typical," Pulisic told Sports Illustrated (1:25 mark of the video below.)

"If anyone thinks that people are being serious, and the people that wanted to be like, 'Oh, he's nowhere near where LeBron is'— I don't think that either, so it doesn't bother me. To me, it's a funny meme, and that's it."

Pulisic and James have been fans of one another for years. Pulisic wore a Cleveland Cavaliers James jersey to the 2018 NBA Finals, to which James responded by posting an Instagram photo of himself in a Team USA Pulisic jersey months later.

This specific comparison between the two goes back to a 2021 episode of Pawn Stars in which an appraiser tried to guess the value of one of Pulisic's signed Chelsea FC jerseys.

"This guy's, like, the phenom guy, right? He's like the LeBron James of soccer?" the appraiser asked in the episode.

Pulisic previously addressed the reference in a December interview with GQ Sports' Jack Holmes.

"It's funny, I'll be traveling across the world and you'll hear a random person shout that, and you're just like, 'There’s no way that has become a thing,'" Pulisic told Holmes. "LeBron was one of my favorite athletes growing up, too. The people that get offended by it, saying, “Don't even compare those two!” It's a joke. It's a meme. People need to lighten up. I don't think I'm the LeBron James of soccer. That's why it's funny, because the guy that said it I'm sure isn’t that knowledgeable about soccer."

When asked if he believed he could someday become as famous as James, Pulisic told Holmes no, but added that he believes he "can be a big part of helping the sport grow and helping our national team grow and creating a whole culture around the sport."

After Pulisic scored 12 goals and nine assists in 30 games for AC Milan this season, the Serie A team is "closing in" on an extension that would keep him with the club through 2028 or 2029, according to Fabrizio Romano.