LeBron: Messi will become all-time best

NBA stars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant praised Barcelona star Lionel Messi with the Miami Heat forward predicting further greatness for the player.

The American basketball players are currently training in Barcelona with the national side and are preparing for the upcoming London Olympics where they have been touted as natural favourites. They are set to take on Argentina in a friendly on Sunday and held a press conference in order to share their thoughts on their pre-tournament progress with assembled media.

And when asked about the Argentinean footballing sensation who plies his trade just minutes away from their hotel at the Nou Camp, they were effusive in expressing their admiration for the current Ballon d'Or holder.

"Messi is the best! The best! I once had the opportunity to watch one of his training sessions and I really enjoyed it," confessed Bryant.

And James, who recently led Miami Heat to success in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, stated his belief that Messi was currently the best player in the world and well on his way to eclipsing the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and others to claim the title as the best footballer of all-time.

"Messi is the best player in the world. If he's not already, he'll be the best footballer of all time," the forward opined.

And Durant joined the chorus when he said: "He's an incredible player. The best in the world. I've seen him play and he's truly incredible."

Messi broke the record for most goals scored in a season with 73 goals last term, bettering Germany legend Gerd Muller's 67-goal haul with Bayern Munich back in the 1970s.