NBA superstar LeBron James has shown his greatness several times on the basketball court, but watching him play on the gridiron is an uncommon experience. Even before establishing his career in basketball, the veteran was a high-school football player. Being one of the tallest guys, around 6’8″, King James became the obvious choice of the coaches. One of his oldest snippets from high school resurfaced, with James rushing down the field for a touchdown. However, fans believe James was never destined to play in the NFL. He was too slow to be a football star.
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LeBron James played in the wide receiver position for almost two seasons in high school. Looking at his height and physique, James played in several positions. Sometimes he was also used as a safety and served as the scout team quarterback.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE IT!!
Nothing quite like high school football Fridays in Northeast Ohio. #FBF | @KingJames
The prime reason was the incredible athletic ability that helped him out-jump others. James recorded 23 receiving touchdowns during his two seasons in the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. However, he was sidelined in his senior season due to a finger injury and wanted to save himself for basketball.
In one of the interviews, James mentioned various reasons for leaving football in his high school. “If I would’ve had a better quarterback in high school, I might’ve continued to play football,” James said. “I took way too many hits,” he added. Moreover, the four-time NBA champion revealed that he was once pursued by teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.
While speaking to the Manning brothers on their popular talk show, James revealed that Jerry Jones and Pete Carroll approached him with a chance to get drafted into the NFL. “It definitely got my blood flowing again, it got my mind raising again thinking about the game of football and being out there on Sundays,” he said on the show.
Fans react to LeBron James playing football at high school
It was a short video snippet shared from the high school matches. James can be seen playing wide receiver for the team. However, the fans believe that he isn’t the best suited for football, and the NBA is his right choice. One user said that he was slow for football.
Another user mentioned that speculating James to become one of the greatest NFL players is false hype.
He would have been playing against athletes bigger and faster than him. He’d be good but to think he’d be a star is just false hype because of how good he is at basketball.
While this user shared a funny pic of James.
This user joined the conversation saying LBJ was slow for football.
The athleticism on the court doesn’t reflect on the gridiron says this user.
He doesn’t look nearly as athletic in pads. Maybe athleticism on the court doesn’t necessarily translate to the gridiron.
In the NFL, James wouldn’t be famous at all, according to this user.
He would have made a LOT less money. He would not be playing at age 37. He would not be as well known.
While this user believes, he was much faster than James.
Dude ran drag route so slow I. Thought I was faster in the moment 😂😂😂
With this kind of play, James would incur frequent injuries, says another user.
The dude would be hurt every other play
If James had played in the NFL, it seems, he wouldn’t have received similar fame and recognition. However, it could have been a unique experience though.