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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has recalled his running into NBA legends LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on his honeymoon. The Englishman was initially asked to step away from their table, but the two basketball superstars caught up with him in the restroom.
Speaking on BBC Sport's The Wayne Rooney Show, the Manchester United legend first discussed his acquaintance with LeBron James. He claimed that they had met at Nike co-founder Phil Knight's retirement party when he was a teenager and said:
"I remember years ago I went to Phil Knight's retirement dinner and it was surreal. I think I was 19 and I went with Ian Rush because Ian Rush was the first football player to wear Nike boots. And I was the young one up and coming. And we got in and there was Michael Jordan, LeBron James, all the top athletes from Nike over the years. So I spoke to LeBron a little bit there. I think he was a year or two older than me."
Rooney then recalled the honeymoon run-in in Las Vegas and added:
"Me and Coleen were in Las Vegas for our honeymoon. So then the U.S. Olympic basketball team came into this bar where we were, and it was all cornered off. Kobe Bryant was there, LeBron, all these massive superstars. And I went over because I'd seen LeBron when we were in Portland (for the retirement party).
"And because I'd spoken to a few times I went over to say hello, and the security went: 'Please step away from the table sir.' So I was like, 'It's OK'. So I went to the toilet and I came back and LeBron sees me and shouts me over. So we went over and chatted and I took pictures with a few of the players and pictures of me and Coleen in general throughout the night."
Wayne Rooney left Manchester United in 2017 and retired in 2021 after short stints at Everton, DC United, and Derby County. LeBron James continues to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, the side he joined in 2018.
LeBron James always hated Wayne Rooney's Manchester United
LeBron James spotted a reporter wearing a Manchester United jersey earlier this year and jokingly called for it to be removed. He told the journalist:
“That’s a horrible jacket by the way, oh my… Oh my god, that is a horrible jacket!”
LeBron is now a part-owner of Liverpool, the side Wayne Rooney grew up hating due to his connections with Everton and Manchester United. The NBA legend had a 2% stake in his Premier League club, which was converted into a 1% stake in Fenway Sports Group, the company that owns Liverpool, along with several other sports sides.
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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.
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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.
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