A tale of two teenagers

ATHENS, Greece — The Olympic experience can turn your life upside down. Just ask Michael Phelps. Or LeBron James.

Phelps — a foundering youth in the games four years ago — is now prince of the Olympic pool in Athens, the man with the most medals and unrivaled media attention. The 19-year-old missed out on smashing Mark Spitz's seven golds in a single games mark, but that did little to dim his star status.

After all, he's won three gold and two bronze medals, more than any athlete. And he's not ready for a trip home to Baltimore yet.

Phelps pursues his sixth medal Thursday in the 200-meter individual medley, in which he's the world record holder and the favorite to pick up his fourth gold of the Summer Games. Typically, his race will anchor NBC's prime-time Olympic coverage.

The trip to Greece was not as kind for fellow teen Olympian James. The reigning NBA rookie of the year, James' team lost their opener to scrappy Puerto Rico, and battled to post a victory against the host Greeks.

LeBron, owner of a $90 million sneaker contract back home, isn't logging many minutes, either: 23 combined in his first two games.

Even when his play was incandescent, as when he lifted the Americans with three quick second-quarter dunks against Greece, the 19-year-old James was just another guy coming off the bench on a .500 team. Coach Larry Brown reiterated Wednesday that the starting lineup would not change.

Who could blame James for missing life back in Cleveland?

James and his struggling teammates are NBC's new "Not Ready for Prime Time Players," and their third game — call it "Thursday Morning Live" — airs at 7:30 a.m. EDT on the USA Network.

Instead, NBC's 8 p.m.-midnight coverage will highlight Phelps' medal chase, along with three other gold-medal races featuring Americans favorites: Natalie Coughlin in the 100-meter freestyle, Amanda Beard in the 200-meter breaststroke and Aaron Peirsol in the 200-meter backstroke.

Coughlin has already captured two golds and a silver in Athens, setting a world record Wednesday with three teammates in the 800-meter freestyle relay. Silver medalist Beard and gold-medal winner Peirsol are each seeking their second medals of the games.