Lance Nance Jr. thinks that Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus was bigger than LeBron's to Lakers

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There's little doubt to many that LeBron James is the most famous basketball player in the world, but is he the most famous athlete?

According to his former teammate Larry Nance Jr., the answer is no. Nance Jr. believes that LeBron is definitely the biggest star in the states, but globally it's footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"In America, it's LeBron and for the world, it's Zlatan," Nance told Goal.com's Ronan Murphy.

LeBron left Nance Jr. behind in Cleveland this offseason by signing a four-year $154 million dollar deal with the Lakers, joining Ibrahimovic, who plays in the MLS for the Galaxy, in Los Angeles.

It was a move that sent shockwaves across the league and shifted the balance of power in the Eastern Conference. As big of a move as the King switching coasts was, Nance Jr. thinks it was overshadowed by another megastar switch teams.

"Each one was huge in its own regard, but I think Ronaldo going [from Real Madrid] to Juventus was probably bigger," Nance claimed. "I feel that was more of a shock than LeBron going to the Lakers."

In eight matches this season, Ronaldo has tallied four goals and four assists as he tries to get Juventus another league title.

With the Lakers' season starting next week, it will be interesting to see the kind of impact LeBron has in Los Angeles and if he can get the Lakers back into the playoffs.

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Carlan Gay is a deputy editor at The Sporting News.