LeBron 'very emotional' ahead of final matchups with Kobe

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are expected to face each other twice in the next week: on Wednesday, when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Los Angeles Lakers, and in Sunday's All-Star Game in Toronto.

After that, the last opportunity for them to play on an NBA floor will be March 10 in L.A.

Pardon James if he is a little verklempt.

"It's ... like, very emotional just knowing it's his last hurrah," James said Monday night, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And he's done so much, not only for the Lakers organization, but for me as a kid growing up watching Kobe and things of that nature and also competing against him."

Bryant and James were never known to be especially close off the floor, but there is some history between the two, something the "King" shed light on.

"I think my most fond moment is he gave me his shoes when I was in high school," James said. "I had an opportunity to go meet him, and he gave me a pair of his shoes, and I actually wore them in a game against Oak Hill, against (Carmelo Anthony), actually. So, six degrees of separation right there."

The pair were teammates on USA Basketball's gold-medal-winning Olympic squads in 2008 and 2012, but one item that always escaped them was an NBA Finals showdown. The closest that came to happening was in 2009, when James' Cavs lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic, whom the Lakers topped in the championship round.

James has won 13 of the last 15 matchups with Kobe dating back to 2006.