MANILA, Philippines – In his third visit to the Philippines, NBA superstar LeBron James changed things up a bit.

He still played for a few minutes, wowing Filipino fans at the Mall of Asia Arena with his dunks and pinpoint passes. He also entertained questions from reporters, and even trained with them in an exclusive session that turned even veteran journalists into gleeful fan boys.

Even some of the biggest sports stars in the Philippines – from members of Gilas Pilipinas to volleyball players – were in awe of the Cleveland Cavaliers forward.

That was not all that the "King" did, however. In a departure from his first two trips to Manila, James also took the time to work out with some Filipina basketball players on Saturday morning at Kerry Sports Gym, shortly after his training session with the media and members of Gilas Pilipinas.

James expressed pride in the work put in by the Filipina players, telling them in an Instagram post to "keep striving for greatness."

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Sep 3, 2017 at 7:27am PDT

In an interview with Migs Bustos of ABS-CBN Sports+Action, James explained that he has been a fan of women's basketball even in his youth, when he watched WNBA legends like Sheryl Swoopes and Chamique Holdsclaw.

"Now, just watching Diana Taurasi and watching Sue Bird, watching Elena Delle Donne, just to name a few – those are some great inspirations," he said.

"Those are some great players who will inspire the next female baller that will come up and play, so I appreciate what they do," he added.

For James, basketball is basketball, no matter who is playing the game.

"I love the game of basketball," he said. "So it doesn't matter if you're a male or a female (player). I love to watch the game of basketball."

That James is a champion of women's sports – and women's basketball in particular – is of no surprise considering how highly he values the women in his life.

Growing up without a father, James considers his mother as his "rock." "She's the true definition of what it means to be a woman," James said of his mother, Gloria, as he lauded her passion and courage.

"To incorporate my wife and my daughter, they give me so much energy to just go out and play for them. I use their passion and their energy every single day," he added. "It's great to have those three women, along with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law as well, giving me that passion."

"I got so many women in my corner who just give me a lot of strength."

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website).