PHOENIX — LeBron James thinks contraction could help the NBA.

Calling the league “watered down,” James told reporters before Thursday night’s game in Phoenix that the NBA was more popular in the 1980s because there were fewer teams and thus more stars on the top squads.

The two-time reigning league MVP has been widely criticized for joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, but defended his decision by saying the league would be more popular if there were more teams with multiple All-Stars.

“How can it be bad for basketball when you have guys who want to win playing on the same team?” he said. “Hopefully, the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the ‘80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team. The league was great. It wasn’t as watered down as it is.”

Miami plays the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in one of the season’s marquee games on Christmas Day. James has complained about scheduling games on Christmas, saying players should be able to spend time with their families, and said the league could have more high-profile games like that during the season if there were fewer teams, as in the ‘80s.

“We had more (star) players on the team, which made almost every game anticipated, not just the Christmas game,” he said.