CLEVELAND -- LeBron James tore through another high school basketball season, leading his team to a 25-1 record and a third Ohio state title in four years.

Now he's about to take on some players who are a little closer to his exceptional talent level.

	LeBron James ends his high school career as the only three-time Mr. Basketball in Ohio history.

James will be the marquee attraction at the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Boys Game tonight (ESPN, 7 ET). James, a 6-foot-8 senior from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, probably won't stand out the way he did during the Ohio Division II season, when his games packed gymnasiums and drew national TV coverage.

His fellow All-Americans can't help but be somewhat in awe of him, though.

"He's amazing,'' said J.R. Giddens of Oklahoma City. "This kid, he's really the real deal.''

Giddens went up against James in Monday night's slam dunk contest, which James won by soaring well above the rim for slams. Giddens, who is headed to Kansas, said he wants another shot at James in the McDonald's game.

"Maybe I can guard him and he can guard me a possession,'' he said. "Everybody's got to go after the top dog to try to take him down.''

James, who's expected to be the No. 1 player selected in this year's NBA draft, will be a heavy crowd favorite. The game is being played in the 20,562-seat Gund Arena, about 40 miles from Akron. His presence could help set an attendance record for the game, which was set last year with 16,505 at Madison Square Garden.

James plays for the East team, and West coach Gary Ernst said his players are eager to match up with the superstar.

"There are three or four kids who've already come up and said, 'Coach, I want to work against him,' '' said Ernst, who is from Mesa, Ariz. "They want the chance to see how they stack up against him. That's pretty impressive to accept that kind of challenge.''

East coach Ron Hecklinski of Anderson, Ind., said he didn't design any special plays for James during the two days of practice.

"He has a tendency to take over the game naturally,'' Hecklinski said. "I don't think you have to run a lot of sets for him.''

James, who has been named the McDonald's National Player of the Year, said he doesn't feel any pressure to impress.

"I'm just going to go out there and play my game,'' he said. "I think I'll put on a good enough show for the people that have paid their money to come and watch us play.''

The McDonald's All-American staff limited reporters to questions about the game during a 10-minute news conference Tuesday with James. That request was made by James' family.

A McDonald's staff member wouldn't let James answer a reporter's question about whether he felt he needed to impress NBA scouts in the game.

Cameras snapped before the news conference as James ate lunch with players from the McDonald's girls' team. James joked, "What do I look like?'' when one of them asked him to get up and grab some drinks off a nearby beverage table. He returned smiling with a couple of sports drinks.

"He's cool,'' said Ivory Latta, winner of the girls' 3-point competition. "He'll make you laugh.''