LeBron: ‘Every time I step out on the floor, I want to be the greatest’

MANILA, Philippines – It’s no secret that LeBron James has confidence in himself. If you still doubt that, just take into consideration his comments about being on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA’s greatest once he retires or what he said about being the best basketball player in the world today.

That confidence has helped elevate James into becoming a 4-time NBA MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and bonafide future Hall of Famer. It also gives him the belief that, whenever he hits the hardcourt, there’s little that can impediment him from accomplishing his goals.

“I have the position and I have the motivation and everything else that’s built around me to be great. That’s just the way I approach the game,” James said on Friday, August 21, at the Nike branch in Bonifacio Global City.

“Every time I step out on the floor, I want to be the greatest player on the floor,” said the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar.

James will inevitably be in the discussion of who the greatest player to ever set foot in the NBA is once he calls it a career. The accomplishments of the current 30-year-old will surely be debated against those of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and many more.

“At the end of my reign, when I’m done, when my shoes are hanging up high across my locker and I end up not playing a game anymore, hopefully I can be up there at the top,” said James, who started his NBA career in 2003 at the age of 18.

“So I have a long way to go, but the things I’ve done so far in my career have put me in the right direction.”

(READ: LeBron James seeks to inspire Filipino basketball hopefuls)

James is set to leave Manila on Friday after a 3-day stay highlighted by participating in an exhibition game at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, August 20. 

During the game, where James put on a dunking exhibition in his 5 minutes of action, “The King” played with kids of the Nike Rise PH program – a basketball search dedicated to discovering untapped potential across the Philippines.

(Check this out: IN PHOTOS: LeBron James rocks MoA Arena)

“Work extremely hard and playing together and just having fun. That’s the number one thing. You know, you try to give everything to the game, but at the same time, you can’t forget about having fun and that was supposed to be the goal last night,” James said about the exhibition. “It was fun to watch.”

Like most NBA players who come to town, James leaves his second visit to the Philippines impressed anew about the dedication and passion that Filipinos have for the game of basketball – something he heard about first-hand from his former Miami Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, who’s a Filipino-American.

(READ: LeBron on PH basketball: ‘They definitely love the game’)

“How unbelievable people are here and how passionate they are about the game of basketball,” James said about the impression left on him by the Philippines on Friday. 

“So I still remember that every time that I come here, I would remember Spo kind of talk about it and he’s so prideful about being a native of here, and rightfully so he should be, because this is a great place.”

Like a number of the Nike Rise Philippines kids, James came from humble beginnings as he was raised in Akron, Ohio, before becoming a worldwide athletic phenomenon. Growing up using basketball as a path to a better life, LeBron says the game can be used as a form of “escape.”

“I think it’s a way of escape… it’s an escape [from] whatever was going on in your personal life, in your family’s life in that important time or in that particular time that allows you kind of to just forget about it,” he said, before later using that analogy and mixing it with the passion the Philippines exhibits for hoops.

“Like you said, people here are just extremely prideful and passionate about the game of basketball and it keeps so many things going.” – Rappler.com