LeBron calls Johnson favorite athlete

There are often questions about what LeBron James or Kevin Durant might be able to do if they chose to play football instead of basketball growing up.

The answer might be somewhat similar to whatDetroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnsondoes on the field.

On Monday, the two top players in the NBA spent at least a few seconds of their night marveling on Twitter about Johnson's exploits on "Monday Night Football."

Johnson is widely regarded as the best receiver in the NFL, and he caught the attention of both James and Durant on Monday night during the Detroit Lions' 35-14 win over the New York Giants in a performance in which Johnson caught seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

Both touchdowns came in the first quarter, and his second catch -- when he extended his body to snag a Matthew Stafford pass across the end zone -- led ESPN's Sport Science to say Johnson had the range of an NBA center on the play.

The two NBA forwards tweeted their appreciation of what Johnson is able to do, though James went a step further -- calling Johnson his favorite athlete. Period.

Megatron strikes once again! #Beast #MyFavPlayerInWorld

- LeBron James (@KingJames) September 8, 2014Durant, meanwhile, marveled at Johnson's well-known Transformer nickname of Megatron, where even with how well Johnson's exploits are already understood, he still does more than meets the eye.

And Durant felt he was watching the best receiver in history on Monday night.

You know you sick at what u do when we call you Megatron. #Tripleteamkiller #justcloseyoureyesandthrowitup #bestwideoutever

- Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 9, 2014As for Johnson, he saw there would be "opportunities" against the Giants on Monday night, especially after the Giants made the somewhat bizarre decision to try to single cover him from time to time with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The last time a team tried to cover Johnson solo came last season against Dallas, when Johnson caught 14 passes for 329 yards, the second-best receiving game in NFL history.