David Beckham and Michael Jordan reached the ultimate height of sports, winning countless championships in soccer and basketball, respectively. Both were extremely popular in their heyday; the global admiration they garnered reflected the mutual respect they shared for each other.
This was illustrated in a story from Beckham’s 2003 autobiography. In it, the former English player shared details of him and his company dining in a fancy London restaurant, and guess who else happened to be there.
“When we looked across the room and saw Our Man at the same time… Michael Jordan, sitting in the corner, puffing on the biggest cigar I’d ever seen in my life,” wrote Beckham, per EssentiallySports.
Dining with icons
Becks, already starstruck from meeting one of his “all-time heroes,” became even more amazed when he let his gaze wander. Next to MJ, sitting at the same table and chatting, were Madonna, pop star Ricky Martin, and Tom Ford, the head of Gucci at the time, as Beckham remembered. It was a scene that Becks and his company couldn’t take their eyes away from.
“I don’t think Dave or I touched any of our food. We were sitting staring across at him,” he later wrote.
And it got even better for the former soccer player. Just moments later, an expensive bottle of champagne was brought to their table, with greetings and congratulations from across the room.
“It was a little while after Brooklyn (Beckham’s son) had been born and this was congratulations from Michael Jordan and Madonna,” shared Becks.
Remarkable resemblance
Beckham and Jordan share some striking similarities. Throughout their impressive careers, they were both leaders and competitors, and their success continues to pay off to this day. They adeptly transformed themselves into brands, using their image for effective advertising. MJ did it with ‘Air Jordan,’ and Beckham has been the face of numerous well-known ads and has a brand with his wife Victoria.
According to Forbes, their various business ventures have even positioned them as the top earners among retired athletes. Both, however, also stayed connected to their roots. Beckham currently owns the American soccer club Inter Miami, and Jordan owned the Charlotte Hornets for 13 years.
Another cool thing is that both were donning the same jersey number for a period. MJ, of course, started it with the Chicago Bulls. Beckham followed suit later in his career, switching to 23 from his original number 7 as a tribute to his basketball hero, as he stated numerous times.
Hitting it off
While playing in Los Angeles for six years naturally brought the retired midfielder closer to Jordan. They started to hit it off at a Jordan party; the NBA legend wholeheartedly asked to exchange numbers. This led to a friendship with certain perks, especially regarding food, essentially bringing the story full circle.
“I called him up, I think I was in Washington, and I said: ‘I know you’ve spent a bit of time here, I need a restaurant. Can you tell me a nice Italian restaurant?’ And he told me a great Italian restaurant. And we talk to each other from time to time and for me to even talk to him is a real honor,” said Beckham, per Yahoo Sports.
Getting treated to expensive champagne or receiving tips for fancy restaurants from ‘His Airness’ himself must feel pretty darn good – something not many can claim for themselves. Beckham is one of those few, and he deserves it; as the saying goes, game recognizes game.