WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- With LeBron James set to meet Michael Jordan's Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers star said it's godly when he met Jordan for the first time in 2001.

"It was godly," James was quoted by the ESPN as saying. "I've said that over and over before, but it was like meeting God for the first time. That's what I felt like as a 16-year-old kid when I met MJ."

"MJ made the game global," James said. "He made the game global. He made people all over the world want to watch the game of basketball because of his marketability, because of the way he played the game of basketball, because of who he was. He kind of transcended that era."

"We needed Larry Bird and Magic Johnson when they came into the league. It was fitting. It was perfect timing for Magic to be with the Lakers and Bird to be with the Celtics and all the battles that they went through. And then when MJ came in in 1984 and started to do what he did, he made the game global. And then between MJ and David Stern, they turned it into what it is today, and guys like Adam Silver and myself are just trying to keep it going," he added.

Jordan is the first former player to own an NBA team, buying the then-Charlotte Bobcats in 2010. James said he wants to become the second.

"Not right now in my career," James said. "I still have a lot of years to give to this game as far as playing. But I would like to own a team at some point. We'll see what happens." Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)