LeBron James, 41, spoke candidly about his relationship with Michael Jordan's legacy in a series of ESPN interviews conducted throughout the season. The Los Angeles Lakers star addressed the GOAT debate, stylistic differences between the two players, and his 4-6 Finals record.

The interviews, conducted by ESPN's Dave McMenamin across eight cities over the course of the year, capture James near the conclusion of his NBA career.

"I hope I made him proud at least, wearing that No. 23," James told McMenamin.

James, listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, was direct about the stylistic contrast between himself and Jordan, who played at 6-6 and 200 pounds.

"I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different," James said. "I have been a point-forward/forward-point my whole life. I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot. There are a lot of things where I would say my game is a lot different and a little better than his, but s---, he was f---ing great. We're both great. We're both great basketball players."

James credited Jordan as a formative influence during his childhood in Akron, Ohio.

"I never thought that I could be him, but I dreamed of the opportunity to live in the shoes that he lived in," James said. "I dreamed of being able to be in a big game and hit a game winner as the clock went down. I dreamed of having my own sneaker. I dreamed of flying through the air like him. I dreamed of people screaming my name. Everything that he did. I needed inspiration from certain people in music and in sports during my upbringing. I needed that."

On his Finals record, James pushed back against critics who use it to diminish his career.

"I am pissed off that I didn't have a better winning percentage individually in the Finals, but for people to try to turn it into a negative, it doesn't bother me like it did when I was younger," James said.