LeBron James is the NBA's biggest star and has been for a number of years. But the four-time MVP has described meeting Michael Jordan for the first time as a divine experience, claiming it was like "meeting God for the first time".

James was thrust into the spotlight pretty early and garnered rife media attention even in his high-school days. As a perk, he got to meet MJ in 2001, when he was only 16.

“It was godly,” James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “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.

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“MJ made the game global. 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.”

LeBron credits the likes of Larry Bird and current Lakers president Magic Johnson as being two of the NBA's first pioneers. But there's a special place reserved for Jordan, whom he says made the league what it is today, along with former commissioner David Stern.

"We needed [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson] when they came into the league," he continued. "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 '84 and started to do what he did, he made the game global. And obviously that '92 Barcelona run that the Dream Team had, it just solidified why he was the best athlete in the world to do as such. 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."

Despite his immense fame and huge fortune, humility has always been one of James' strong suits. The player is also unmatched when it comes to charitable acts and one of his greatest achievements on that front is his opening of a free school for underprivileged children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

"Any time I'm even mentioned with the greats that played this game and guys before me who laid the path, laid the grounds in this work and allowed me to be in this position, it's always humbling and gratifying for my city," the All-Star forward said.

"Just knowing where I come from, some of you guys know where I come from that's been there, and some of you guys haven't, but where I come from, there's not many of us. It's very limited. It's very, very limited inspirations. Very limited resources. Very limited everything. So for me to be in this position where I'm at today, it's just a blessing."

What This Means

LeBron was in obvious awe of Jordan the first time they ever met, but 17 years later, he's poised to pass the former high-flyer on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The Lakers star is only 437 points away from usurping MJ and should do so well before the end of the season. James scored 24 points against Jordan's Hornets on Saturday night, helping Los Angeles to a 128-100 win. And, barring a significant injury, he should end the season as the league's fourth highest-ever scorer.

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