How conversation with LeBron James helped shape career of Alabama basketball's Mark Sears

Mark Sears didn’t know what he was going to say, but he knew he had to say something. LeBron James was standing there.

Sears, a Muscle Shoals native, was 17 and at a basketball tournament in Indiana, part of the Nike EYBL Circuit. He was waiting to play in a game when he wound up next to James.

“It would have probably ate me up if I didn’t speak to him,” Sears told The Tuscaloosa News. “He was one of my favorite players.”

Sears said James had two bodyguards nearby, but they were standing behind James. As a result, Sears had a window of opportunity. He was standing in front of James, so he had a chance to talk with to the NBA star, if Sears wanted.

Years have passed, and Sears has since become the second-leading scorer for Alabama basketball (20-3, 10-0 SEC) the No. 3 team in the country. But at this point in time, he was just a 17-year-old basketball player. And he was trying to talk with one of the greatest, if not the greatest, basketball players ever.

For five minutes, Sears didn't say anything.

“I was star-struck at the time,” Sears said. “During the five minutes of not talking to him, I was trying to think of what to say.”

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Sears wasn’t the chattiest player on the team. “He’s not vocal,” said Scott Whittle, one of his AAU coaches. So, Sears would have to break from his quieter nature if he wanted to talk with James.

Then Sears did.

“What’s up LeBron?” Sears said.

Then he told James his name, and they struck up a conversation. It went on for about 10-15 minutes.

“He was very down to earth,” Sears said. “He didn’t act like he was too big for anybody. It was really a normal conversation like you and me are having.”

Sears took the opportunity to ask James questions. They varied from “how do you stay in the shape that you do?” to “how do you do what you do?” in addition to discussing James’ daily routine.

Your body is your business, Sears remembers James saying.

“He just kept it simple,” Sears said. “‘Just take care of your body. You know your body better than anybody else. Take care of it and it will treat you well down the road.’”

Once the conversation was wrapping up, Sears had one more question for James.

“Can you come watch us play?” Sears asked.

James said he would if he didn’t have his son Bronny playing on another court.

The opportunity was missed then, but maybe one of these times James will still have a chance to watch Sears play.

“In the (NCAA) tournament,” Sears said. “When we make a big run in the tournament.”

Alabama will face Florida (13-10, 6-4) on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN2) at Coleman Coliseum.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball: Mark Sears on advice LeBron James gave him