UConn star Alex Karaban shares why he picked $1.2B worth LeBron James for a 1-on-1 duel

Alex Karaban and the UConn Huskies took on the Gonzaga Bulldogs as part of the Hall of Fame Series in New York City on Saturday and won 77-71. Ahead of the tip-off, the Huskies answered some questions, and the video was posted on the 'hofseries' Instagram account.

Karaban was asked to name one player, past or present, he would take on 1v1 and he named $1.2 billion worth(per Forbes) NBA legend, LeBron James.

"If I could play anybody one-on-one, I'll pick LeBron James. Just because he's been the greatest to play so far and just seen how dominant he has been in the last 20 years, it's truly remarkable."

"How to attack him? I don't really know, I just wanna just see, just you know, really see how it is to play against LeBron James."

In Saturday's win, Alex Karaban finished with three points and five rebounds. This was the forward's second game after returning from a head injury he sustained during the Maui Invitational last month.

Alex Karaban declared for the NBA draft earlier this year but returned to UConn to help coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies on their attempt at a three-peat. He is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 points, and 3.4 assists per game.

The team has had a shaky start to their season as they won the first four games and then lost the next three in Hawaii. The Huskies are now back on track, with a four-game winning streak.

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Alex Karaban defends UConn coach Dan Hurley's on-court outbursts

The Huskies coach Dan Hurley is well-known for his emotional reactions on the sidelines and is involved in arguments with the referees from time to time. Hurley drew much criticism for his behavior during UConn's game against Memphis and Alex Karaban came to his defense.

During his appearance on Jared Kotler's Connecticut Scoreboard Podcast, the red-shirt junior said:

"Whatever they were saying, I did hear that it did get blown out of proportion just with my friends … He’s passionate. He’s energetic on the sidelines, as he’s always been, and he just cares about winning.

"If he sees something he doesn’t like, he’s going to protect his guys and make sure we get a fair shake. If other teams or people don’t like how a coach manages things, that’s on them."

Hurley blamed most of their loss during the Maui Invitational on bad calls from officials. Now, with the team back on track, Hurley will hope to avoid similar roadbumps in their quest for a third straight title.