Is Michael Jordan Helping LeBron James Find a House?

That question itself is the product of one of the latest (and most unlikely) rumors surrounding LeBron James' upcoming decision as to where he'll play basketball next season. But not only is it not confirmed as to whether or not Michael Jordan was helping James house hunt, Charlotteans need not get excited because the rumor places the scene in Chicago's ritzy Highland Park suburb. Which means the rumor was probably started by some Chicago Bulls fan.

A couple of Chicago Tribune reporters looked into the rumor and in the process they report on an interesting actual fact: former Carolina Panther Julius Pepper, who now plays for the Chicago Bears, recently purchased B.J. Armstrong's Highland Park home. Click here to read more.

Not much has been reported over the years as to what kind of relationship Jordan and James actually have, though the younger 23 has made it clear the respect he has for the legend and how much he idolized him growing up. If you'll recall, James announced at the beginning of this season that he would be switching his jersey number from 23 to 6 out of respect for how much Jordan means to the NBA and how he revolutionized the way people play--and the way we view--the game of basketball.

Since NBA free agency doesn't open until July 1, we can expect several more rumors, speculation, and "sightings" of LeBron James in the coming weeks. Charles Barkley said on TV the other day that he's sick of all the LeBron talk. I think it's fun. There hasn't been a potential player move this big since Babe Ruth was "sold" from the Red Sox to the Yankees. I was at a social event last night and some friends and I were joking about what it would take to lure James to Charlotte to play for the Bobcats. Such comments made were: "They would have to pay him more than the NBA would allow." "Jordan would have to give him future ownership stake in the team." "He'd have to at least give him ownership stake in Nike." Last week, a friend of mine even started a Facebook page called "Why LeBron Should Play For Charlotte!" And let's not forget, last month New York Times columnist William Rhoden wrote a column titled "Want to Make an Impact? Join Jordan," in which he surprisingly stated his case for James to play for the Bobcats.