Originally published Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM

NBA Notebook | LeBron James awed by Obama win

His two young sons at his side and surrounded by family members overcome by emotion, LeBron James witnessed history on Tuesday night. And when Barack Obama...

By The Associated Press

CLEVELAND — His two young sons at his side and surrounded by family members overcome by emotion, LeBron James witnessed history on Tuesday night.

And when Barack Obama walked onto the stage in Chicago's Grant Park as the country's first African-American president, Cleveland's superstar tried to grasp the awe-inspiring moment.

"It was uplifting," he said Wednesday. "It was something that you can tell your kids, you really can become anything now. You don't have to become a basketball player. You can become president of the United States."

James, who campaigned for Obama, arrived for Cleveland's game against the Chicago Bulls wearing a T-shirt with the president-elect's likeness on the front.

James stayed home to watch the election returns, and when Obama won over Republican nominee John McCain, the 23-year-old watched family members in their 50s and 60s break down in tears.

He was asked if he had any future political ambitions. Former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson won election as Sacramento's first black mayor on Tuesday.

"No, not right now," James said.

What about mayor of his hometown? "Mayor of Akron?" he said. "I'm already mayor of Akron. I've been that for about 10 years now."

Notes

• Detroit guard Allen Iverson was not available for Wednesday's game against Toronto because Chauncey Billups, one of three players traded to Denver in exchange for Iverson, has not completed his physical with the Nuggets.

• Former Sonic Ray Allen talked before the Boston-Oklahoma City game about how he hoped the NBA would return to Seattle and said again that he'd be willing to work to make that happen. "I think just to have basketball not only in Portland but in Seattle, it only does better for the league," he said.

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