WATCH LIVE: Frances Tiafoe shows his loyalty toward LeBron James” ditches” Lionel Messi’ Kobe Bryant’ and Michael Jordan in favor of the legend” see reasons…
LeBron James was voted the greatest athlete by Frances Tiafoe, surpassing a number of exceptional athletes from various sports. By selecting the NBA icon over players like Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi, the American tennis player demonstrated his allegiance to the legacy.
In the ‘Loyalty Test – Sports GOATs’ segment on the Tennis Channel, Tiafoe had to select between two of the best sportsmen in history. He would have to make another decision since anyone he selects would be up against the following athlete.
Frances Tiafoe’s first choice was between eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt and 23-time gold medallist Michael Phelps. Tiafoe chose Bolt and the sprinter was pegged against NBA legend Kobe Bryant next. The 26-year-old, a well-known NBA fan, chose Bryant over Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, he chose Muhammad Ali over Bryant and Katie Ledecky before LeBron James was brought into the mix. Tiafoe chose James consecutively over the likes of Simone Biles, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, and lastly, Michael Jordan to proclaim:
Tiafoe declared, “Bron is the greatest athlete of all time.” See below for Tiafoe’s devotion to the four-time NBA champion:
Speaking on Nick Kyrgios’ podcast ‘Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios’ in April this year, Frances Tiafoe opened up about how he takes inspiration from the likes of NBA legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He pointed out their lighthearted and carefree attitude off the court but how they turned competitive as soon as they were on it.
“It’s all outside tennis. You see (Le)Bron (James), you see Kobe, right? Those guys like seeing them; you know, being cool with their teammates, whatever cool with their friends. But when it was out there, like, me and you were so tight, we joked around right before we got out there, then it’s on,” Frances Tiafoe said (at 6:43).
“Same with those guys, especially with the best players in the world. Everyone stepped in, and I wanted to show the world what I could do. Then I just get super excited, and those guys definitely help with it,” he added
Currently, Tiafoe is regaining form after dropping out of the Top 20 earlier this year. He reached his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati before taking to the Flushing Meadows for the US Open.
At the New York Major, Tiafoe defeated compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round and Alexander Shevchenko in the second round to set up a third-round battle against Ben Shelton on August 30th.
