Do LeBron James and Michael Jordan despise each other?

IF looks could kill, Michael Jordan would be in big trouble. LeBron James stared down the NBA legend while performing a monster dunk and it got tongues wagging.

IF looks could kill, Michael Jordan would be in big trouble right now.

LeBron James appeared to stare down the NBA legend while performing a monster dunk during the week and it got tongues wagging.

Miami Heat superstar James was playing against Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA playoffs when, as he went in for the dunk, looked over in Jordan’s direction with a definite message.

The problem is, no one is sure what that message was and if indeed it was directed at His Airness.

The commentators started all the hype, calling it live that James was looking at Jordan at the time.

Watch the video of LeBron’s controversial dunk above

But James denied it later.

“No,” he said. “Don’t start that. Absolutely not, man. Absolutely not. I was able to read (Josh) McRoberts, get a steal and push the lead back up. I absolutely didn’t look at M.J., for sure.”

Who was he looking at, then? Maybe the Bobcats bench?

Nobody knows.

The dunk that got the basketball world talking.

Then later last week the greatest player of today – James – and the greatest of them all – Jordan – moved to clear up the situation with a public display of affection.

The pair shook hands and shared a couple of words after the Heat swept the Bobcats to move into the second round of the playoffs.

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Asked what the short embrace was about, James was vague and didn’t touch on Jordan directly. “I just congratulated them on the great season they had and told them to keep going and stay healthy,” James said.

“It was just a sign of respect. We respect this team. We respect this franchise. They gave it all they had.”

Watch LeBron and Jordan hug it out in the video below

But the big question is if there is animosity between the pair, where has it come from?

It might have something to do with the fact Jordan declared late last year that he would have beaten James in a one-on-one if both players were in their prime.

Maybe it’s because of the talk that James may one day take Jordan’s mantle as the greatest of all time.

Or maybe it stems back to when Jordan declared Kobe Bryant was better than James.

“If you had to pick between the two, it’s tough – but five (championships) beats one,” Jordan said at the time.

James has since gone on to win a second championship, and just maybe a third is around the corner.

It’s still a long way off Jordan’s six, though.

His Airness in full flight.

The LeBron v Jordan debate will rage on for a long time.