Bernard King, whose Garden scoring record of 60 points was broken by Kobe Bryant on Monday, only has hope – that LeBron James eventually breaks Bryant’s record in a Knicks jersey.
Reached at his home in Atlanta, King, who watched Bryant’s historic night on television, told The Post it would be “phenomenal” if the Knicks can sign King James in 2010.
“The Knicks need a superstar,” said King, the Brooklyn-born forward who is still a big Knicks fan. “They should always have a superstar like LeBron. Being in New York, the biggest media capital in the world, it would be phenomenal. It’s something I would love to see. The Knicks deserve to be mentioned in the top echelon of the league. LeBron would be a perfect fit in the offense because D’Antoni would love to run with him.”
James scored 52 points and notched a triple-double in a 107-102 win over the Knicks last night, arguably more impressive than Bryant’s 61 on Monday.
“They love the game basketball. They’ve seen great performances. The history of this arena, they’ve seen great things come through the Garden,” James said before the game. “They’re going to cheer when they see greatness. They do cheer for the Knicks also, and show their appreciation.”
King sees greatness in James.
“He’s a distributor, rebounder, a great defender, dominant scorer,” said King. “The leaping ability, the penetration, nobody is going to stop him. I love watching him.”
King did not like watching Bryant snap his record, set Christmas Day 1984 vs. the Nets. He knew Bryant was making history at halftime.
“I knew at halftime the record was over,” King said. “When he had 34 at halftime . . . I could see him totally in rhythm.”
King was at the Garden working for WFAN the night Michael Jordan scored 55 – then the Garden opponent record.
King’s 60 came on national television against the Nets, who actually won the game behind Micheal Ray Richardson’s 34.
“You score 60 in the gym across the street, you remember it the rest of your life,” King said. “But I always think about the fact we lost,” said King, who owns Bernard King and Thompson Energy Solutions.