LeBron James: Luka Dončić is 'my [favorite] player!!'

LeBron James was the talk of the basketball world Monday night.

And though "The King" hasn't seen on-court action in over a month, his name was the center of the Twitterverse after he decided to let fans in on a few of his unheralded secrets, as part of an impromptu Q&A. 

James fired off answers to fan inquiries, delving through a number of topics, including the cake vs. pie debate, favorite ice cream flavors, and his best/worst memories throughout his playing career. He answered questions about the ongoing postseason action as well, responding to one query with a revelation of his current favorite player: Luka Dončić. 

The Slovenian sniper has become a fan favorite due to his recent heroics throughout the playoffs, including a dominant solo showing in a seven-game knockout of the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in Round 2. 

Dončić was at his absolute best throughout the affair, averaging 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and seven assists per contest. He led both teams in each category, as well as steals (2.1).

His brilliance captured the adulation of thousands worldwide, his squad a ticket to the Western Conference finals, and earned James' invaluable stamp of approval. 

But while James' nod of respect was seen as pure flattery by some, Skip Bayless viewed it as an unnecessary ploy for attention.

"The playoffs are just starting to heat up, and this came across as ‘remember me?’" Bayless opined Tuesday on "Undisputed." "[James] knows he's getting towards the end of his career."

"After he passes Kareem, I don't know what his motivation will be after that. To me, this was classic LeBron. ... He has to remind everybody, ‘I’m still here.'" 

Shannon Sharpe dismissed Bayless' critiques, assessing the Q&A as nothing more than a special chance for fans to interact with one of the game's legends.

"Once you get to 70, 80 million followers, all you do is tweet," Sharpe argued. "But you really don't respond. For the casual fan, this is your opportunity [to get a response from James.]"

James' appraisal sparked another debate Tuesday morning on "First Things First." This one, though, centered on Dončić's candidacy for "best player on Earth."

For Chris Broussard, the requisites for Dončić to attain such billing was simple: win a title.

"If he wants to be named the best player in the world, win a championship," Broussard said. "Nothing else will suffice.

"I am not a guy that believes that best player on the championship team is the best player in the world. I thought LeBron was the best player in the world long before he won the championship, same thing with Giannis. If Luka wins a championship, he will have shown you – yes he has a deficiency on the defensive end, but he will have overcome it with his offense. He's much better on offense, and a much better distributor. His offense will be so good that it will overcome his defense."

Nick Wright was stoked to see Broussard concur with his longtime commendations of Dončić's game. For Wright, the 23-year-old already operates in select company.

Should Dončić collect a championship crown at the season's close, he will have certainly earned his right for inclusion on countless additional "favorite player" lists. It will be incredibly difficult not to include him in the "best current player" conversation, as well.

But the yellow brick road to title gold is paved through Golden State, and Dončić has his work cut out for him against one of basketball's all-time great dynasties. The Western Conference finals begin Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.