LeBron James tends to stand out.    

As he casually leaned back and propped his size-16 Ferragamos on the table in a Washington Ritz-Carlton suite, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player wore a sleek gray dress shirt and pinstriped slacks to go along with his fine Italian footwear.

In stark contrast to the polished attire of the 6-foot-8-inch Cleveland Cavaliers forward, the longtime friends he shared the couch with — Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce III and Willie McGee — sported basketball shorts and simple T-shirts emblazoned with James’ world-renowned name.

“When we grew up, we all wished we could have our own shoes, our own gear and things like that,” James said. “They love it when I’m coming out with a new shoe or I’m coming out with new gear.”

Back when they were teammates at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School in Akron, Ohio, however, they dressed in the same green-and-gold uniform.

Six years after graduating from high school, the four were reunited to discuss More Than a Game, a documentary about their seven-year journey to winning the 2003 USA Today National Championship.

In an interview with The Diamondback, James, Travis, Joyce, McGee and director Kristopher Belman reflected on the film, which opens in Washington on Friday. For the 24-year-old James, his commitment to the movie’s production and promotion process (including a press tour with stops in China, France and England) was never in question.

“I wanted to make sure the film was giving off the right message, and I think Kris did a great job of doing that,” James said. “I was hands-on with what’s going on with the film because anything that has my name on it, I definitely want to be a part of it. I’m not one of those guys who’ll just put my name on it, and then you’ll never see me or I won’t have any input on it.”

More Than a Game follows James and his Fighting Irish teammates during their middle school days practicing in a run-down neighborhood gym, explains their choice to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary’s together and ultimately documents their national title victory.

Belman began the project as fledgling 21-year-old film student at Loyola Marymount University. Assigned to put together a 10-minute short for his documentary class, Belman knew he had something special once he saw the friendships shared by the players.

“He just kind of set up the camera and let things unfold,” McGee said. “And after a period of time, we really became comfortable with him.”

Added Joyce: “We give you the truth and realness. If you ask the right questions and get the conversation rolling, we have no problem sharing our story.”

Of course, the attention directed toward James also provided Belman with plenty of drama to capture along the way. Christened by Sports Illustrated as “The Chosen One” during his junior year, James subsequently drew unprecedented national exposure for his senior campaign.

Fans and media constantly blanketed the team as ESPN televised several St. Vincent-St. Mary’s games that season. And, as James succinctly pointed out, the Fighting Irish played in one of only two games that sold out the Cavaliers’ Gund Arena in 2003.

“They sell out a lot more now,” James quipped with a smug smile.

Along with the positive publicity came a fair share of controversy — most notably, two situations which saw James’ amateur eligibility come into question.

“They were being thrown so many challenges, and they were overcoming them. It was just like a screenplay,” said Belman, who ironically only managed to pull a B-plus on his initial class project. “I just thought these guys were really interesting characters to follow and explore.”

Once he graduated from college, Belman spent two years trying to shop his footage to producers in hopes of making a feature-length movie. But most potential buyers were only interested in putting together a James highlight reel.

“There was absolutely zero interest in all these other stories,” Belman explained. “To me, that was just unacceptable. It was kind of disheartening because it was literally the same meeting over and over again.”

Eventually, producer Harvey Mason Jr. agreed to help Belman pursue his vision. Soon, the money was available for the first-time director to properly edit the footage, add dynamic visual effects and insert an original score.

With Belman’s newfound freedom, storylines that would have never seen the light of day — such as one focusing on the strained relationship between Joyce and his father, Fighting Irish coach Dru Joyce II — became as important to the structure of More Than a Game as its superstar headliner.

Most importantly, though, Belman wanted to concentrate on the camaraderie built at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s. The documentary, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2008, ultimately projects such strong team chemistry that it’s hard to imagine the athletes ever going their own ways.

Sure enough, the players said that dilemma did end up affecting each of them — even James, who joined the Cavaliers as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

“Sometimes, you take it for granted,” James said. “Playing with guys you grew up with, you know what they’re going to do on the court, and you know how they feel on and off the court. It was tough because I was joining a team that had previously just won 17 games out of 82, which is really not that good. Going to that team, they’re looking for you to be that guy. And I didn’t even know any of those guys.”

James’ teammates, meanwhile, adjusted to life without their high-profile colleague. When Joyce and Travis began playing for the University of Akron, their jump from high school to the collegiate ranks saw them leave the national spotlight for the more modest settings of the Mid-Atlantic Conference.

Travis put it best: “I felt like I got demoted.”

After St. Vincent-St. Mary’s lost to Roger Bacon High School in the 2002 state championship game, the film shows the Fighting Irish bringing an intense focus en route to an undefeated season the following year. To Joyce, playing in college with individuals who didn’t share the same enthusiasm was a challenge.

“At all levels, I’ve never been on a team that’s had that same passion,” said Joyce, who now plays professionally in Germany. “It’s frustrating to be with guys out there who really don’t care.”

Even through their various post-high school struggles, James’ teammates said thoughts of jealousy or resentment toward his success never seeped into their heads.

“That’s like your brother. And when you see your brother make it, you just smile,” Travis said. “When I saw his first billboard, I had to take a picture. I was blown away. That’s my best friend, and he’s on a billboard.”

During the Washington Q&A screening of More Than a Game, James said he connected with his St. Vincent-St. Mary’s companions so well because he, unlike most other teenage hoops phenoms, only attended one high school.

Making his point, James looked into the crowd and spotted fellow NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, who, from the seat he had quietly taken in the audience, acknowledged that he enrolled at four different high schools.

It came as no surprise, then, that the most frequent word the tight-knit friends used to describe their bond was “loyalty.”

When James becomes a free agent with the choice of leaving the Cavaliers next summer, he said he will go to his dependable Fighting Irish teammates for advice on where to ink in what will likely be the most important contract in NBA history.

“Cleveland has given me anything and everything I’ve ever wanted,” James said. “I am happy about being in Cleveland, and hopefully everything works out next summer with free agency. But when it comes up, I will ask them.”

tfloyd1@umdbk.com