Have you ever wondered if LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar small forward, would have performed as well in football as he has in basketball?
To be frank, you can stop wondering. In his days at Saint Vincent – Saint Mary’s High School in Akron, Ohio, James became one of the most prolific receivers in school history, twice garnering All-State honors. James caught 103 passes for 2,065 yards and scored 23 touchdowns for The Fighting Irish in his sophomore and junior years before giving up football to concentrate on his basketball career.
During this year’s Super Bowl Media Day, New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, was asked (hypothetically) which NBA player he would like to have on his team. Brady gave a definitive answer.
LeBron (James). Tight-end. Split him out, just throw it up. He’d come down with a lot of them,” Brady said of James.
At 6’8″ and 250 pounds, James would certainly have enough size to compete in the NFL. Speed, hand-eye coordination, and leadership are all talents that The King would bring to a football team. In 2009, Mark Murphy, Green Bay Packers legend and former defensive coordinator at Saint Vincent – Saint Mary’s High School, dubbed James, along with Jerry Rice, as the best receivers he ever witnessed.
I’ve been around a lot of great receivers,” Murphy told ESPN in 2009. “I tell people that I rate my top receivers – coaching, playing or watching – as James Lofton, Jerry Rice, Steve Largent and LeBron James.”