LeBron James on Calvin Johnson: "He's a monster"

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Talent knows talent.

LeBron James was in town to play against the Pistons Friday night, but it's what he said about one of Detroit's finest athletes that drew attention after the Heat's shootaround.

Earlier in the week, Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman called Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, "The LeBron James of football."

Tillman, who primarily covered Johnson during the Bears October 22 win over the Lions, was crediting the wide receiver for his recent record-breaking efforts.

James, who said he has met Johnson but "doesn't know him," laughed at the comparison.

"That's awesome," James said. "That's big time, to break that Jerry Rice record, he's amazing."

The Heat guard was asked if he was a fan of Megatron.

"Absolutely, he's a monster," he said.

Johnson has 1,892 receiving yards this season, and needs just 108 to reach the 2,000 yard mark. In the Lions first game against the Bears and Tillman, Johnson was thrown to 11 times, but had just three catches for 34 yards.

Brad Galli is a Sports Reporter for WXYZ Detroit. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradGalli .