Michael Jordan: 'No question' I could beat LeBron in my prime

His Airness is at it again.

At his annual Michael Jordan Flight School basketball camp, in Santa Barbara, Calif., M.J. fielded questions from the youngsters on hand, dishing on a variety of topics.

Not surprisingly, each of Jordan's remarks were laced with confidence, competitiveness, and playful jabs at his successors.

It didn't take long for a young camper to ask the burning question that has been fodder for debate for quite some time. "I know this is the ESPN question. I know it's going to be all over ESPN," Jordan said. "If I was in my prime, could I beat LeBron in a 1-on-1 game? No question!"

The response was met with resounding applause.

As a follow-up to his comparison of a younger version of himself versus peak LeBron, Jordan told the crowd that if he were to choose between going head-to-head against King James or Stephen Curry at his current age, 52, he would go with Curry. His reasoning: he is bigger than the Golden State Warriors superstar, and because "LeBron's a little bit too big," but he added, "That's OK, I can foul."

Still on the topic of which players or teams would stand a chance when facing himself or his celebrated Chicago Bulls teams of the '90s, Jordan addressed Shaquille O'Neal's recent proclamations that the Lakers' all-time top five players would destroy the Bulls' best five. "I think we would've killed them," Jordan said. "He thinks they would've killed us. You guys decide. It's just a debate."

Jordan also opined on the following subjects:

• Best coach he's ever played for: Dean Smith (UNC) - "Phil (Jackson) was lucky because I was taught by Dean Smith."
• Biggest trash talker during his playing days: Larry Bird
• Best pickup game he's ever played in: Dream Team practices with the U.S. national team during the 1992 Olympics.
• On being upstaged by Bugs Bunny in Space Jam: "Did Bugs Bunny steal the spotlight? Yes, he did. He was much more famous than me. And he's still more famous than me."
• Player he'd pick from any era to join his current Charlotte Hornets team - excluding himself, of course: Hakeem Olajuwon - "(Olajuwon was) an unbelievable player. Very versatile. Very dominant."
• His advice for Kobe Bryant: "I hope he comes back healthy. I think he's done a lot for the game. He has a true love for the game of basketball. I absolutely have a high regard for him. Even though he stole all my moves, but that's OK."