LeBron James Says He Was Inspired by Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, Will Smith, More

LeBron James is the inspiration for many young hoopers today, but he had plenty of people he looked up to himself when he was younger.

Among them was basketball legend Michael Jordan, NFL and MLB star Deion Sanders, actor and musician Will Smith and rappers 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z and DMX, as James said on 360 With Speedy (5:12 mark).

"When you grow up in the inner city and there's not much inspiration around, I think for me I found inspiration from the outside," he noted.

James has now become the inspiration as a 21-time All-Star, four-time champion, four-time MVP and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, among many other career achievements. He'll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and is certainly in the G.O.A.T. conversation alongside one of his heroes in Jordan.