GLOBAL ICON?

LeBron James has his eyes set on being the greatest basketball player ever. He wants to surpass all expectations, crush his competition, demolish all records. In his own words, he wants to become a "global icon."

Well, he's gonna have to put all that all on hold until he pulls Stephon Marbury's foot out of his ass.

Via True Hoop:

Before the game, James took a little shot at Marbury's $14.98 kicks, saying he couldn't imagine endorsing a sneaker that cheap.

"No, I don't think so," James said. "Me being with Nike, we hold our standards high."

Marbury, who is friendly with James, was lacing up his Starburys before the game when informed of LeBron's comment. He thought about it for a moment and said, "I'd rather own than be owned."

Oh, and Marbury hit a clutch three with less than a minute to go in regulation to ice the game for the Knicks.

In the last couple of years LeBron has become a little too self-aware. Actually, self-aware isn't the right word. He's turned into a douchebag. The Realests are completely on Marbury's side in this whole thing - especially since Ben Wallace also signed up with Marbury to push the low-cost sneakers.

Maybe The King's head has gotten a little too big for his crown...