LeBron James says he's looking for team that can win 'multiple championships'

Here are some highlights from LeBron James' interview with CNN's Larry King.

View full sizeLorenzo Bevilaqua / CNN via APCNN's Larry King interviews LeBron James: "It's going to be a very interesting summer, and I'm looking forward to it," James says.CLEVELAND, Ohio — LeBron James recorded an interview with CNN's Larry King at his Bath Township home on Tuesday. The segment, which is set to air at 9 p.m. Friday on CNN, is part of a weeklong series of shows commemorating King's 25th year at CNN.

The complete transcript of the interview was sent to a local television station. The entire interview was posted online and obtained by The Plain Dealer, which independently verified the accuracy of the transcript.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / PDWhile James says Cleveland has an edge in the competition to sign him, he also is still planning to meet with several other high-profile free agents like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.Larry King: OK. You are at a, you're at a point I don't think any basketball player in recent memory has ever been at. You're the, arguably, the most famous player in the game, you and Kobe [Bryant]. But you are a free agent, and that's exactly what it means . . . you're totally free. They can't make you an offer until July 1st. But you can think about it now, because the money is going to be, all things equal, it's going to be about the same. So in your head, [are] there places you'd like to go? I'm not going to ask you to commit.

James: Well, I mean, to me, I think my ultimate, my ultimate goal is winning championships, and I understand that me going down as one of the greats will not happen until I, you know, win a championship. So for me, the team that I decided to go toward (inaudible) in Cleveland, that ultimately has -- has the best chance for me to win a championship not one year, but multiple years. But 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's best for me and my family.

King: So 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?

James: No, I cannot play forever. And that is absolutely right. But the team that I go to or -- or, you know, whatever the case may be, will have an opportunity to win championships in multiple years and not just because of LeBron James.

King: All right. Do you lean at all toward the place you know the best? I mean do they have an edge going in . . .

James: Oh, absolutely.

King: Your home team?

James: Absolutely. Because, you know, this city, these fans, I mean, have given me a lot in these seven years. And, you know, for me, it's comfortable. So I've got a lot of memories here. And -- and so it does have an edge. But it's a -- it's a very -- it's going to be a very interesting summer, and I'm looking forward to it.

View full sizeMark J. Terrill / APPhoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire. King: You can tell me that you're going to get together, you, with [Chris] Bosh and [Dwyane] Wade and [Amar'e] Stoudemire and [Joe] Johnson and [Ray] Allen and . . .

James: We can be like a little committee?

King: Yes.

James: A little free-agent committee.

King: No one can stop you. You're all free agents. The league can't tell you not to do this.

James: Right.

King: "What if you go there and I go here and we go here?" Is that possible?

James: I don't know to that extent, but it will be fun. It will be fun to get all the free agents together and, you know, figure out a way how we can make the league better.

King: But you can get together and discuss for the better of the league . . .

James: No, we can . . .

King: "If I went here and you played there," right, you . . .

James: Oh, I mean, and in certain situations where you may be able to pair with a -- with a group or one or two guys and -- and better that franchise and guys better these franchises. But I think this is the most -- this is the most sought out summer in -- in basketball history, because of all the free agents.

King: Are you the ringleader of the group?

James: I am the ringleader.

King: Do you want a say in who the coach is?

James: That's not -- no, not really. . . . You know, a lot of great coaches have been part of this league for years. But I'm not one to go into the off year 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 -- as picking a coach.

King: Were you sad that your coach here was fired?

James: Oh, absolutely. I mean -- I mean, he was a great coach, five -- 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, you know, the Eastern Conference championship. We [had], you know, the [most] regular-season wins two years in a row. We did a -- I mean, 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's going to have a great coaching career.

King: Have any of your Cavalier teammates asked you to stay?

James: Of course.

King: How about this city? You know the -- listen, listen, 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 this city. You're very generous in getting involved with kids. Do you take that into consideration? You've got a lot on your shoulders.

James: Well, 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 or what I do with my future.

But as far as what I do in the community, that has a lot to do with it, because what I do in the city of Akron and what I do in the city of Cleveland means a lot to myself. And, you know, if our -- if I don't do these things that I do on the community, locally, I will feel -- I will feel bad because I feel like, you know, any time when I was growing up, if I had ever got an opportunity to make it, I will always give back.

King: OK. So I'm not going to put words in your mouth. All things being equal, is Cleveland sort of sentimentally the favorite?

James: Oh, absolutely. And it's a -- it's a Cleveland-Akron team, 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, when I played high school basketball, where I grew up, in the projects, a lot of -- a lot of things mean home for me here. And -- and it's not just about the basketball court.

King: How about [girlfriend] Savannah [Brinson] and the kids? What say do they have -- well, the kids don't have a say in that.

James: Well, the kids got all the say. I mean, I think they -- they're going to support what 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 might -- make the right decision in my career, and they're going to support whatever I do.

King: You haven't made a decision yet, is that correct?

James: Correct.

King: OK. Would you say, all things being equal, you're close?

James: I'm far from close. I don't -- I don't -- 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 began to strategize exactly.