Next Step for James, Filling Jordan's Shoes
While it will be years before it is known if James can fill the void left by "his airness", the 17-year-old sensation underlined his credentials on Thursday in capping his high school career at the Capital City Classic.
He finished off with a record-setting third successive all-star MVP performance in front of an audience of NBA scouts.
Wearing number 23 -- same as his idol Jordan -- and sneakers with "King James" monogrammed in gold on the heel, the next big thing thrilled a near capacity crowd of 18,424 at the MCI Center.
He displayed an eye-popping repertoire of NBA caliber dunks, blind passes and three-pointers, scoring 34 points in a rare losing effort as his black team fell 107-102 to the silver.
"I had a heck of a run," smiled James, who also claimed MVP honors at all-star events in Chicago and Cleveland.
"I came out to have fun. If it had been St. Vincent I would have been upset about losing but I'm 2-1 in all-star games and I was just out there having fun. "It was fun, really fun, I enjoyed every minute of it."
While the contest had little relevance from a competitive standpoint, it's significance was more symbolic with many viewing the game as a passing of the torch, Reuters reported.
Certainly the symmetry was compelling.