LeBron serves as music curator for 'NBA 2K14' game

ATLANTA  -- LeBron James is taking some of his talents during the offseason to a best-selling basketball video game franchise as a music curator.

2K Sports announced Friday that the two-time NBA champion of the Miami Heat selected 20 songs for the soundtrack of the upcoming ''NBA 2K14.'' The league's four-time MVP is also the cover athlete of the popular video game.

James said in a statement that he is honored to be the first cover athlete to choose songs for the soundtrack. He follows his friend and Grammy-winning rapper Jay-Z, who was the executive producer of the last year's installment that sold more than 4.5 million copies.

''2K is letting me take control of some important elements in NBA 2K14, including this year's soundtrack,'' James said. ''I love that I'm the first NBA 2K cover athlete to choose the soundtrack.''

Some of the songs featured on the game's soundtrack are Drake's ''Started From The Bottom,'' Phil Collins' ''In the Air Tonight,'' Daft Punk's ''Get Lucky,'' featuring Pharrell Williams and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' ''Can't Hold Us,'' with Ray Dalton. Other music acts featured are Jay-Z, Coldplay, Robin Thicke, The Black Keys, Eminem, Fly Union, Gorillaz, Imagine Dragons, Jada Kiss, John Legend, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, Nas and Puff Daddy.

James is the first solo cover athlete to cover the game in two years since Michael Jordan. The game is expected to go on sale Oct. 1.