LeBron James on His Favorite NBA All-Star Moment, the Economy and the Boston Celtics
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LeBron
James, aka “King James,” has created many memorable NBA All-Star
moments during his spectacular five-year career. So it’s surprising to
hear that this basketball junkie’s favorite All-Star moment had nothing
to do with Michael Jordan (his childhood idol), or Magic Johnson (the
legend he’s most compared to), but is instead about a certain
singer-sexpot named Mariah.
“Seeing Mariah Carey in a Michael Jordan
jersey dress … that was my favorite memory from [the] All-Star games, I
was a senior in high school. And I was old enough [to look], ah, whew!”
he says as the horde of reporters laugh appreciatively prior to the
58th NBA All-Star game in Phoenix.
James,
24, is also old enough to appreciate the bitter rivalry that’s been
brewing between his Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending NBA champs,
the Boston Celtics. Despite losing two key players in the offseason,
James says Boston remains a formidable foe in the Eastern Conference —
and one of the favorites to claim the title.
“Losing
those guys [James Posey and P.J. Brown] hurts because they were a big
part of the team. But they still got the Big Three with Paul [Pierce],
Ray [Allen] and KG [Kevin Garnett], so they’re still going to be
competitive,” he says.
James
expressed appreciation for those who still support the NBA and the
All-Star weekend, despite troubling financial times. “The game of
basketball is great. The game brings excitement to a lot of kids and a
lot of families. I think that we are happy that even with the economy
being down, the game of basketball has still been up,” he says.
NBA Commissioner David Stern confirmed James sentiments, stating that attendance is up across the board from last season. –terry shropshire
