radicalized. by the time he was captured he'd already tried to kill his own countrymen. his story challenges the jihadi stereotype, but perhaps more importantly, it reveals that homegrown radicalization is taking root. that there will be another american al qaeda. >> larry: tonight, king james. lebron james exclusive. the nba superstar like you have never seen him before. on the father he never met. the lure of money and fame.

and the answer to the question everybody's asking, including me, who is he going to play for next? lebron gyms will hlebron james now. >> lebron james with no regard for human life. >> larry: what an honor to have during our 25th anniversary week the pleasure of being it at the home of lebron james in suburban akron, ohio. the place he grew up. thank you for doing this. >> thank you for having me, larry. >> larry: what was it like to grow up near here in much less circumstances than here and have this?

>> well, first of all, this is humbling because i know where i come from. and i grew up as a kid. i mean, ten minutes away from where i am living today. it was a struggle. but at the end of the day, it made me become who i am today. >> larry: did you ever dream as a kid? >> absolutely, every day. as a kid, we would drive up and down 77 north. that's our highway. there would be office buildings on the side of the highway. and i'd be, like, that's what my house is going to look like when i get older. i'm going to try and make my house look like that. sometimes when i look at my house now, and it's kind of bigger than some of those office buildings. >> larry: so even though all that ability, do you -- do you pinch yourself? >> i stay humble, absolutely. i mean, this is an opportunity that i don't think i could have dreamed of. but everything that i've gotten, i'm over these past few years, i've embraced. >> larry: when did you know you had talent, particular talent? >> when did i know i had talent? i think it started probably when i was -- when i first started playing sports, organized sports.

i played football for a team called the east dragons on the east side of town. we had -- we only had six regular season games. and in six games i played tail back. and i had 18 touchdowns in 6 games. that's when i knew i had some athletic ability. >> larry: how about the first time on a basketball court? >> the first time on the basketball court was later on that year. football season is always before basketball. so i played, my first recreation league, i played for the summer league hornets where i grew up playing basketball in an 8 to 10 league. i was 9 years old and we won a championship. and i was one of the best players on the team then. it was pretty fun. i was able to win a championship in football and in basketball. the same year. >> larry: so your high hopes were warranted? >> for the most part. >> larry: but you had a tough childhood. your mother's only 16 when you're born. you move a lot, 12 times between the ages of 5 and 8. what are your memories of those days? >> my memories of those days,

every day that you woke up, you knew was going to kind of be a struggle. for me already being a part of a single-parent household knowing it was just me and my mom, you'd wake up times and hope that the next day you'd be able to be alongside your mother because she was out trying to make sure that i was taken care of. but all i cared about was her being home. >> larry: did other people help raise you? >> absolutely. i think throughout the years, i've had coaches. i've had family members. my mom's two brothers. she had a younger brother. and an older brother that was around, too, that helped raise me. a lot of my grade school coaches, my high school coaches helped me. >> larry: in your book, you said you were up half the night scared, lonely and worried. scared about what? >> when i grew up, i grew up on the north side of akron in the projects. those scared and lonely nights, that's every night. you hear a lot of police sirens,

you hear a lot of gunfire, things that you don't want your kids to hear growing up. you know, when you're there and you know your mother's not home, you never know if those police sirens are for her or if those gunshots were intended toward her. so those are nights -- you know, almost every night that you was staying up hearing those sounds and hoping and wishing that it wasn't your parent on the other end. >> larry: didn't know your dad? >> no. >> larry: never met him? >> never met him. >> larry: ever wonder about him? >> no, i don't think so. i don't. you know, for me, to a certain age, it really didn't kick in, me not having a father. i always seen my mom. i thought, this is how it was, you know. until i had some friends. and i was, like, you got a mom and a dad? i didn't know that was the rules. >> larry: did you ask your mom about your dad? >> no, never. because, you know, for me, she was doing everything that i could ever dream of. you know?

there was times where christmas would come around. and my birthday would come around. and i'd think, you know, i may have one or two presents, or i may not get anything because i understand the struggle. and there would be a floor full of stuff, bags full of stuff on my birthday. christmas was december 25th, and my birthday was december 30th. so i had gifts on both days. there was no reason for me to even ask, mom, where's my father or where's my dad because she was doing it all. >> larry: did you also realize how young she was? >> i didn't. i had no idea. now that i look on it, when i look back and say, wow, my mom had me at 16, i don't know how she did it. i mean, as a kid, you don't know. i know that's my mom. and she may be 25. she may be 30. i don't know. you know, now that i look back on it, i have no idea how she did it. >> larry: do you have a lot of compassion for her? >> absolutely. absolutely. a lot of my drive and what i do is because of her. >> larry: how did you stay away

from the gangs in the projects? you think projects -- i know projects from new york. do you think gangs and drugs? >> right. i didn't stay away from it. >> larry: you didn't? >> because i lived in it. and when i say i didn't stay away from it, that doesn't mean i was associated with gangs or drugs, but when you live in the projects and you live in those circumstances, there's nothing that -- you can't get away from it. but sports carried me away from being in a gang or being associated with drugs. sports was my way out. >> here goes lebron. wow! >> larry: did you see a lot of prejudice? >> growing up, no. not really. because i was -- i mean, growing up, you was around african-americans every day. and there was no prejudice. we all -- >> larry: what about white america? >> i didn't -- i wasn't around white america until the ninth grade when i went to high school. you know, there was no prejudice growing up. >> larry: how about then? >> i don't think so.

when i went to st. vincent/st. mary which was a catholic school -- predominantly white, i didn't see any prejudice at all. i think they accepted us for us being students, for being athletes. i didn't see any at all. >> larry: now, also, you once said "i never thought basketball was going to be my future. i just wanted to play because it gets you girls." >> yeah. >> larry: was that not true? >> that was true. >> larry: you did all right in the female department? >> growing up, i did all right. >> larry: when did you know i want to -- i want to play basketball for a living? >> when did i know? i think i started to get a love for the game in, i think, around the middle school days. you know, we would go on aau tournaments, me and my best friend. our high school coach. we'd go to aau tournaments, and it was fun. the competitive nature of the game, winning and losing and

dominating one team and things like that is something gravitated towards me. >> larry: we'll be right back on this historic week with this historic guy in this historic place. lebron james on "larry king live." don't go away. >> i knew at that time he was the best high school player in the country. you know, he's the best player in the world, i think that that's something he's still working at. i know that he's working towards. he has done a great job of exceeding all those expectations. he's only got one hurdle left. >> whoa! it's pain relief without the pills. no pills, no pain. how can you get pain relief without taking pills around the clock? try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day. you feel the heat. and it relaxes and unlocks the muscle. you've got to try it. [ man ] thermacare,

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my money. my choice. my meineke. we ain't going to do too much on this court because it's a little wet. i don't want you to sprain your ankle or anything like that. mess your nba career. >> larry: that's all i need. >> i don't want to mess up your nba career. we'll just shoot a little bit. ♪ >> larry: oh, don't show the ones i miss! ♪ >> easy money, easy.

>> larry: i made my one shot. >> we made our one shot. thanks. appreciate it. thank you so much. >> larry: we're at this beautiful house in suburban akron. what city are we in, actually? >> bath, bath township. >> larry: bath township. >> it sounds a little bit more elegant. >> larry: a little impressive. how big a house? >> how big a house? it's pretty big. i'm not sure. i built it and built it and built it. >> larry: you've made it when you don't know how big your house is. >> exactly. >> larry: did you go to basketball games as a kid? did you go see the cavaliers play? >> no. it wasn't affordable to go to a cavs game. but if you could catch a few on the tv, you would be lucky. >> larry: were you a cavs fan? >> growing up, no, i wasn't. i was a chicago bulls, michael jordan fan growing up. >> larry: ah-ha. so the president's suggestion might carry weight, right? >> it may carry weight. >> larry: so why the bulls and

not your own team? >> i was just -- wow, michael jordan was just my inspiration. i mean the things that we he was able to do on the basketball court, i loved. everybody wanted to fly like jordan and pull up and hit a game winner at the sound of the horn like michael. you wanted to do commercials. you wanted to have his shoes. everything he did, i wanted to do. >> larry: when did you first meet him? >> i met michael jordan my first time, i was in the tenth grade. and i went to chicago. they play at a gym called hoops. that was the first time i met him. it was like he was walking on water when he came towards me. >> larry: did he know who you were? >> he did, he did. and that was more gratifying and it was just very humbling. that he knew who i was. >> larry: he owns a team now. >> right. >> larry: you ever think about the possibility of playing for him? >> i never thought about it. i do think it's great that he owns a team.

you see a former player in our league, and you see mike and the things that he was able to do on the court, to see him still being successful off the court i think is awesome. >> larry: what did coach drew joyce mean to you, your high school coach? >> coach drew joyce means a lot. not just because of what he helped me out with basketball, but he was like a -- he was like a father figure on me growing up and understanding that there is more than just the game of basketball. even though you're playing the game of basketball and even though i'm coaching the game of basketball, we're going to use this game to create other things. and sometimes you didn't understand exactly what he was saying you know, when you're 12 and 13 and 14, but now at 25 i understand exactly what he was doing. >> larry: teaching you about life? >> absolutely. >> larry: therefore was he a key significant figure? >> very key, very key. >> larry: was he part of your decision not to go to college? >> absolutely, absolutely.

he was part of my decision. my mother, my four best friends. they were a part of it. and they felt like, you know, it was a decision that ultimately i would make. but they definitely helped me. >> larry: these four best friends, are they like -- is this your own board, you've got your own -- >> board of trustees. >> larry: yeah. are they still with you? >> absolutely, absolutely. >> larry: what do they do? >> well, romeo travis is playing professional basketball in germany. drew joyce is playing professional basketball in -- he is in poland. willie mcgee is a grad assistant at the university of akron "u." and sheehan is working towards his school project and still trying to play professional football. so everyone is still on track. >> larry: and they all advise you in life? >> well, we kind of -- we kind of advise each other. we know we can't spend as much time together as we did in high school because everyone has

their family and their own goals. but we still connect on a lot of things. >> larry: what about the kids? you have two children. >> right. >> larry: age? >> 5 and 2. >> larry: boy and girl? >> two boys. >> larry: how do you like being a father? >> it's great. to have the opportunity to see my kids grow and for me to be there on a day-to-day basis is awesome. >> larry: are you going to get married? >> it's possible. i'm not sure. >> larry: what holds you back? what do you think about? >> well, first of all, you know i love my kids and my girlfriend, she is great. but i think, you know, when you think of marriage i think you understand you got to take your time. you can't pull the trigger. when it's right for you and you feel like it's the right situation you should be able to do it. but you don't want to rush into things. >> larry: does she pressure you? >> nah, she don't pressure me. >> larry: how do you deal with frankly, lebron, let's be frank, the temptations of life?

>> my understanding that when i wake up every day and i go out in public every day, that i'm not just representing lebron james sr. i understand that my last name is a responsibility for my two boys, my family, my mother. rest in peace, my grandmother. a lot of people. so that's what keeps me humble. and that's what keeps me away from temptation, because i understand that it's not always -- and it's not just about lebron james. >> larry: it's always around you, isn't it? >> absolutely. temptation is around everybody. >> larry: you go to some city, pretty girls. >> it's not always even the girls, though. they could be girls, other situation could be money, certain money is not always good money. it can be just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. i mean, if you have -- if you have your priorities in check, then for the most part, it's easy. >> larry: do you feel people are

always after you for something? are you wary? >> am i wary? i think -- of course there are always people always after you for something. but i feel like i have a foundation and i have a supporting cast where it doesn't bother me too much. and now in the position i am, i understand i can see -- i can see people who's here for me and people who is here for the intangibles or things like this. >> larry: so you know? >> yeah. i have a girlfriend. i learned that from my mom. i have a good judge of character. >> larry: we have not forgotten. there is of course the obvious. where is he going to go? how does he deal with something like that, this bright, still young man? what is next? don't go away.

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a split screen, oh! lebron james with no regard for human life! lebron james is taking over.

james makes his way inside and scores. >> larry: before we get to future things, they played last night, so we don't know who won the first game. but who do you like in this lakers/celtics series? >> i mean, me being an eastern conference guy, i like boston. i mean, i've played against those guys and lost to them in the second round. you know, just the caliber of players they got, the winners they got, i think they have a great opportunity to win. >> larry: you think they can win? >> i think they can. >> larry: how did you lose to them? >> you know, their team was just, i think, a little bit better than ours. and they took advantage of some of our weaknesses. you know, when you have paul pierce and ray allen and kevin garnett, you kind of forget about rajon rondo. and that's exactly what happened at times. and he kind of controls the whole ship that goes on in

boston. and they did a good job. i mean, we're a really good team, but they were better than us in the series. >> larry: even though you had the better record all year? >> even though we had the better record. >> larry: is that frustrating? >> absolutely. definitely frustrating for me, knowing the competitor i am and knowing why i work in the off-season and knowing the things i do in the regular season, you never want your season to end in may. >> larry: when you have for you what is a bad game, and there was one game people vote for you bad. for others good. what does it do to you? >> it makes me more focused. it continues to humble me, honestly. when i have a bad game, it continues to humble me and know that you still have work to do. and you still have a lot of people to impress. but at the same time, i know my game and i understand that me going out there and doing the things that i can do on the basketball court, one game is not going to define who you are. >> larry: you learn from losing? >> absolutely. i think more importantly, i

learn from winning. because it's much easier to point out things when you lose. but i think the oftener competitors can point out a lot of things when you win. >> larry: okay. you're at a point i don't think any basketball player in recent memory has ever been asked. you're the arguably the most famous player in the game, you and kobe. you are a free agent. and that's exactly what it means. didn't used to be that way in sports. sports people were chattel. you were owned by your team. you're totally free. they can't make you an offer until july 1st. >> right. >> larry: but you can think about it now. because the money is going -- all things equal, it's going to be about the same. >> right. >> larry: in your head, are there places you would like to go? i'm not going to ask you to commit. but if you want to commit, you can do it. >> i think for me, my ultimate goal is to win the championship. and i understand that me going down as one of the greats will not happen until i win a championship. so for me, the team that i

decide to go to or staying in cleveland that ultimately has the best chance for me to win a championship, not one year, but multiple years, and for me to continue to get better and help that team win, i think ultimately would be my decision. i'm going to do what is best for me and my family. >> larry: can we say it will not be a poor team, a team of players who you do not calculate would be there to win championships? because you can't play forever. >> no, i cannot play forever. that is absolutely right. but the team that i go to or whatever the case may be will have the opportunity to win championships multiple years, and not just because of lebron james. >> larry: it will have to be a good team? >> absolutely. >> larry: do you lean at all towards the place you know the best? i mean do they have an edge going in, your home team? >> absolutely. because this city, these fans i mean has given me a lot. in these seven years. and for me it's comfortable.

so i've got a lot of memories here, and so it does have an edge. but it's going to be a very interesting summer. i'm looking forward to it. >> larry: you can't wait to hear. you wish it were july 1st? >> i wish it was july 1st. >> larry: there is a story circulating today. i don't know if it's true. i wrote it down just to make sure, you can tell me, that you're going to get together, you with bosh and wade and stoudamire and lee and johnson and allen and nowitzki and all of these sort of -- is this funny? >> we're going to be like a little committee? a free agent committee. >> larry: a free agent committee, no one can stop you, all your free agents, no one can tell you not to do this. what if you go there and i go here and we go here. is that possible? >> i don't know to that extent. but it would be fun. it would be fun to get all the free agents together and figure out a way how we can make the league better. figure out how we can make ourselves -- no if we could, if it was like baseball, we would all go to the same team. >> larry: you can't do that. >> no, we can't do that, unfortunately.

>> larry: the cap. >> exactly. >> larry: but you can get together and discuss for the better of the league if i went here and you played there, right? >> oh, i mean, and in certain situations you may be able to pair with a group, one or two guys and better that franchise, and guys better these franchise. but i think this is the most -- this is the most sought out summer in basketball history because of all the free agents. >> larry: are you the ringleader of the group? >> i am the ringleader. >> larry: we'll be back. i'll pick up on that. there is more to come. don't go away. ♪

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lebron james! james for three. nice save. nice fake by james. oh! he stuffs! lebron james puts it down. >> larry: despite being in the middle of the nba championship season, still the most talked about thing in sport today is not who is going to be in the world series, who wins the stanley cup, who is going to win the nba championship, but where is this man and some of the other greats that are now free agents, where are they going to go? are you humbled by the fact that the mayor of new york city, gotham, wants you to play there. >> well, absolutely. >> larry: the mayor of new york. >> absolutely. i mean, the mayor of new york, he's great. he has done some great things. it is humbling. not just from the mayor of new

york, but you have the president saying -- >> larry: go to chicago. >> go to chicago. and you have other cities and other people wanting you to be part of their city, wanting you to be part of their franchise. it's very humbling because i work very hard at my craft and what i do. so it pays off. >> larry: but you already said it has to be a good team. >> absolutely. >> larry: okay. but there is not a good team where speculation is. how about the clippers, which would put you in the same city as kobe, in the same arena as kobe, with a team with some nice young players. >> some really good players. and i think everyone in clipperland is looking forward to blake griffin coming back. >> larry: right. >> and being healthy. chris kaman, they've got some really good players, baron davis, some really nice pieces, if they add a free agent here, a free agent there they could have a really good team. >> larry: if one of those free agents was you and one was bosh,

would l.a. appeal to you? >> it's a great city. it's not always about the city, it's about winning. if you put me and bosch on the same team, if you put me and dwyane wade on the same team or joe johnson, a lot of these guys, a lot of teams would be much better. you know, the cavs would be much better. all these teams. >> larry: your own team. >> absolutely. a lot of these teams would be much better. we'll see how it plays out. >> larry: it's happened before. do you want to say in who the coach is? >> it's not -- no, not really. i think there are a lot of great coaches. a lot of great coaches that have been a part of this league for years. but i'm not one to go into the office and say this is who i want my coach to be. now there are some coaches that, you know if i had an opportunity to play for, i would be delighted. but i'm not as far as picking a coach. >> larry: were you sad that your coach here was fired? >> absolutely. i mean he was a great coach. five great years we had

together, and we turned a franchise that hadn't seen a lot of things in a lot of years. we won eastern conference championship. we won, you know, the regular season wins two years in a row. we did a lot of great things. but ultimately we both, myself and mike brown didn't accomplish what we wanted to, and that was the nba championship. and i think we wanted it more than anybody else. so it's unfortunate. i wish him the best. and i think he is going to have a great coaching career. >> larry: do you think brown will wind up somewhere? >> i think he can. he is a really good coach. he prepares the team well. if you look at the team that we've had and you look at the wins that we've had, he has proven himself. >> larry: have any of your cavalier teammates asked you to stay? >> of course. >> larry: they have? >> of course. >> larry: how about the city? you know, these are economic times. and you are in the unique position of being very economically important to cleveland. you sell tickets. you do more than that. you support people in the city.

you're very generous getting involved with kids. do you take that in consideration? you have a lot on your shoulders. >> i think as far as saving the city economically, i can't get too involved in that. i can't let that be a decision of mine and what i do in the future. but as far as what i do in the community, it has a lot to do with it. because what i do in the city of akron, what i do in the city of cleveland means a lot to myself. if i don't do these things that i do in the community, locally, i would feel bad because i feel like any time when i was growing up if i ever got an opportunity to make it, i will always give back. >> larry: so i'm not going to put words in your mouth. all things being equal, is cleveland sort of sentimentally the favorite? >> absolutely. it's a cleveland-akron thing. because i grew up in akron. i mean, akron is less than 30

miles south of cleveland. so absolutely. my whole family is here. you know, where i played high school basketball, where i grew up in the projects, a lot of things mean home for me here. and it's not just about the basketball court. >> larry: how about savannah and the kids? what say do they have -- well, the kids don't have a say, do they? >> well, the kids got all the say. no. i think they going to support whatever decision i make. you know, of course they have a say, but, you know, they feel like to this point i've been able to make the right decisions in my career, and they're going to support whatever i do. >> larry: are you looking forward to making the decision? is there going to be a relief when this kind of pressure -- and it is a pressure, happy pressure, is over? >> well, absolutely it's happy pressure. to be in control. >> larry: that's what you are. >> absolutely. we all at some point want to be in control of our -- >> larry: destiny. >> our destiny, exactly. >> larry: more with lebron james.

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♪ >> larry: we're back with lebron james. the most talked about figure in sports in years in the united states. you haven't made a decision yet, is that correct? >> correct. >> larry: would you say all things being equal, you're close? >> i'm far from close. >> larry: far from close? >> honestly, i haven't -- because july is still a month away. less than a month away. so i haven't -- i haven't began

to, you know -- i've thought about it, but i haven't begun to strategize exactly. >> larry: a couple of other things in that area. will talks with these other players be helpful? >> absolutely. because you definitely want to be a part of a team that can give the best opportunity to win. but a team consists of individuals. and, you know, there is a lot of individuals that can help myself win, and i can help a lot of these other guys win, too. so it has a lot to do with it. >> larry: so that's an important sit-down? >> absolutely. >> larry: that's going to be interesting. no cameras there, huh? >> no. we might invite you. we might. >> larry: all right. if you let me come, i guarantee you anonymity. i will not say a thing. >> will you? >> larry: just observe. and when it's all over, i might come back and interview you all as a group. >> wow. got to get more chairs out here, too. >> larry: how you went where and why. you're the leader. >> yeah. >> larry: we'll do it where you want to do it. >> so we'll figure it out. me and you.

>> larry: it ain't the money, though. is it? >> the money is going to come. it's not -- it's not about the money. i think right now if i stop playing the game of basketball, i'm set. my family is set. >> larry: for life? >> for life. >> larry: so it's not about the money. it's all about winning from here. >> larry: what was it like -- by the way, one other thing. is there any one person that could be someone you would go to to say, listen, i'm down to this. what advice would you give me? is there a person in your setting. >> myself, i think. >> larry: you're going to be? >> ultimately that one person is me. even with the discussion with the rest of the free agents and my friends that is free agents, with my supporting cast, ultimately, it's going to be me. i'm going to have to sit down and say where do you want to play, how do you -- what is going to be your future. >> larry: by the way, that free

agent meeting will be historic in the history of sports. and i'll attend. i'll sit in a corner. what was it like to go from -- how do you explain your own maturity? where did this come from? >> well, my own maturity came way before the high school to the nba move. it started young when you understand that you got to become the man of the house very, very young, 6 and 7. you got to start doing things that not 6 and 7-year-olds do, like 13, 14-year-old kids got to do because you are the man of the house. >> larry: so you were ahead of yourself all the time? >> a lot of people tell me that. >> larry: so when you were 13, was it hard to deal with fellow 13-year-olds? >> no, it wasn't. because the group of guys that i hung around, we were all the same age. all of us. my four best friends. we were all the same age, in the same grade and everything, so it wasn't hard.

but a lot of people always tell us that we was -- we was beyond our years. we was mature for our age. >> larry: there was no high school player to go into the pros as successful as quickly as you were. kobe had some tough years, others. how do you explain that? how were you able to be so good, so fast? >> well, i think i had a great understanding for the game. and i understood how to play the game the right way. it wasn't always about just me as an individual. it was about the team aspect of the game. i had a great respect also for the history of the game, the guys who paved the way before me. i think that helped a lot. and ultimately, me having the right mind-set, saying i know i'm the best high school player in the world, but once you get drafted, it's time to start back over. and how do you make yourself be the best nba player in the world, and don't give yourself a time limit, but how do you do

that? so i just started over. i didn't go in with a cocky attitude saying i'm the best prep class basketball player in the world so i'm the best nba player in the world. no, i never went with that mind-set. >> larry: what about the crowds? dealing with huge arenas. you had a lot of attention on high school, you were on the cover of "sports illustrated," but nothing like the pro. >> no, nothing. but it was a dream for me. i dreamed about those days a lot, you know, being in those arenas, 17,000, 18,000, 20,000. the cheers from the home court, the boos from the away court. those were the opportunities and those were the dreams that i had. that was reality. >> larry: do you ever feel sad you didn't go to college? >> no, i never feel sad. but i do wish i could have been part of march madness. those are fun games, and those are fun times to watch them. see, if i could have skipped the whole season. >> larry: just played march madness. >> and just played march madness, i would have been all for it. >> larry: what college would you have gone to?

>> it was a choice between ohio state and north carolina when i was coming out of high school. >> larry: close to big time schools. >> yeah. >> larry: ohio because of the midwest and north carolina because of its history? >> exactly. >> larry: what area of the game do you think you have to improve? >> what area of the game do i think i have to improve? i think for me going into a season, i always looked at what are you going to bring to this year. and i think right now i think it's shooting the ball. continue to improve. and i've improved over the years. i'm going to continue to improve just on touch and being more consistent on shooting the ball. >> larry: like kobe? >> yeah, he is really good. he is really good actually. >> larry: does he amaze you? >> absolutely. sometimes he doesn't even know, but i told him on the olympic team that in high school, when i was in high school and growing up, i had pictures of kobe bryant all on my wall because he was like -- kobe bryant went straight to the nba.

so he was my inspiration. wow. >> larry: he wasn't as good that fast. >> but the fact he could go straight to the nba and be with an nba uniform, he was on my wall, i had michael jordan, i had kobe, allen iverson. kobe, in high school, man, i looked up to you. i told him on the redeem team. he kind of looked at me like i don't know if he believed me. but it's true. >> larry: when we come back, i'll ask about the olympics. don't go away. [ female announcer ] right now when you stay two times with comfort suites or any choice hotel,

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i only have two short segments left, so i'm going to run through some things. what does warren buffett mean to you? >> everything. >> larry: why? >> he gives me a lot of advice. >> larry: free? >> free advice, absolutely. free advice. >> larry: does he usually write? absolutely. >> larry: he'll tell you to invest on things?

>> he'll give me a lot of insight into business ventures and tell me that some business ventures are better than others. the best advice he gave me was kind of truly follow your gut. you know, if this is a decision you're going to make, go with it and don't second-guess yourself. >> larry: what about president obama? like him? >> absolutely. >> larry: supported him? >> absolutely. >> larry: have you talked with him since he's been in the office? >> once or twice. i've had an opportunity to go by the white house. think he's a great person. he does a lot. he's continuing do a lot for this country, and think the first full term for him is going to be a rebuilding term, and i think, you know -- and then he's going to be able to put what he wants ultimately -- >> larry: how good a player is he? >> i haven't had an opportunity to play against him in basketball.

but i'm looking forward to it. he's supposed to be building basketball courts on campus. >> larry: we'll be back with our remaining moments. don't go away. we've been counting down the top "larry king live" moments and now we arrived at number one. you picked our coverage of the attack on the united states on september is 11th, 2001, as the top moment from a quarter century of larry king live broadcast. take a look back at that week when we went to ground zero. ♪ >> that is the world trade center, and we have unconfirmed report this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the tours. >> larry: everyone was sleeping. i clicked on cnn and i saw a building on flames and knew that

my life had changed and television would change. america under attack. horrible images as terrorists strike against symbols of wealth and power. how could that happen? terrib terrible, terrible day. ♪ my city is ruined >> larry: two weeks later i found myself at ground zero. >> that was the north tower. that was the south tower. it looked like a construction sight. but there's 6,000 people. that's the horror of it. >> larry: going to the burn center at presbyterian hospital where i had had my heart surgery. what was the scene like here when you arrived? >> it was sort of -- it was like a war zone. there were just people all over the place. >> i heard a wrrrr. and it started to fall on us. all of it started to fall on it. sparks. we were all on fire.

>> larry: it all went through me. i felt like that was my town. s for an entire year... its great taste helps make lowering cholesterol a non-challenge. just see specially marked boxes for details.

my joints ache so bad, i wake up in pain every day. i want to know why. i want to know why my hair is falling out. how did this happen? how did this happen? a little pain in my knee. that's how it started. that's how it started, this rash on my face. now it's like my body is attacking me. i want answers. announcer: when you don't have the right answers, it may be time to ask your doctor the right question. could i have lupus?

>> larry: just a couple of more things to cover, and it's been a delight talking with you. >> all right. >> larry: she was with us earlier this week. what do you think of lady gaga? >> sh is's an unbelievable performer, unbelievable talent. she has a great following. >> larry: do you want to go see her. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> larry: she's coming to cleveland. >> i'll be there. >> larry: you're doing a movie?

>> yep. >> larry: what is it? i'm doing a movie called "ballers." >> larry: balls? >> "ballers" like basketballers. it's about me doing -- it's funny. i get it. it's me having a fantasy camp, 40-year-old guys, 45-year-old guys who wiv they could be lebron james or colby bryant but they come to my camp and have a lot of privileges as nba guys. it's going to be a lot of fun. >> larry: what are you going to do after basketball? >> hopefully i can be part of basketball still. >> larry: own a team? >> that would be great. >> larry: commissioner? >> yeah. i'll hand out the fines, all the fines i used to get. >> larry: you'd like doing that. well, first good luck with all