CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James tells a newspaper that a cancer scare earlier this year was "nerve-racking" and had him on edge for a few days.

James had to wait for biopsy results in January after physicians at the Cleveland Clinic found a growth in his right jaw. One of the NBA's biggest names tells The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that doctors didn't think it was cancer but had to be sure.

He says his family was nervous, too. James says he was glad the season was going on, so he could focus on basketball.

It turned out that the growth was benign. James had surgery to remove it in June, a few days after the Cavaliers' season ended.

He says during a week of bed rest following the operation, he got some of the best sleep he ever had.

Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com