USA – LeBron & Co meet USA Olympic hero Michael Phelps

BEIJING (Olympics) – The USA locker room was full of stars after the Americans’ 106-57 destruction of Germany on Monday night.

But the brightest star of all wasn’t a member of the basketball team that has so far flattened everything in its path in pursuit of a gold medal.

It was USA swimming hero Michael Phelps, the 23-year-old that has set the Olympics on fire by capturing a record eight gold medals here in Beijing to break Mark Spitz’s 32-year-old record that was set in Munich.

LeBron James spoke about seeing Phelps.

“He’s definitely one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever seen in my life,” James said.

“It’s humbling for me and it’s humbling for Kobe (Bryant). It was unbelievable, for myself.”

The media knew something was up when USA center Dwight Howard showed up at the press conference to answer questions about his 22-point, nine-rebound effort against the Germans.

Howard had a souvenir.

“I got a chance to meet Michael Phelps and that’s why I had the goggles on,” Howard said.

Carlos Boozer, who like James is playing at the Olympics for the second time, saw Phelps make history on Sunday.

“It was great to come out and watch him win his eighth gold,” Boozer said. “He might just be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.”

FIBA