LeBron James may be the greatest basketball player to walk the earth but when it comes to people who are considered one of the best to ever play their sport, perhaps no one is a bigger fan of other great athletes than LeBron himself. Whether it’s Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, LeBron is quick to give the respect to people who have reached the heights of their sports. And while everyone is waiting for Taco Tuesday, LeBron’s Monday night included a tribute to another iconic athlete: Ken Griffey Jr.
Griffey, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, was a guest commentator during last night’s ESPN baseball game and his modesty about his swing forced LeBron to post on his Instagram story to tell his 50+ million followers about the greatness of “The Kid.”
For those of you who are unaware, “Stan” is a stand in for someone who is a super fan.
James’ affinity for Griffey is not new, nor is it unique for people who came of age during Griffey. As someone who is about five years younger than LeBron, Griffey was the coolest baseball player to ever walk the earth. His backwards hat during the home run derby and his iconic smooth swing were emulated by every kid who played baseball. And James has honored his love of Griffey outside of social media as well, even releasing a Griffey-inspired colorway of the LeBron 15s a few years ago.
