What if the trajectory of one of the biggest stars in the NBA world almost never happened?
What if, instead, he committed to playing NFL football?
The NBA athlete in question? None other than current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
There are a lot of people who agree that LeBron has quite the tenure and durability in the NBA. But what if he flipped to the NFL? Rob Gronkowski recently commented that he thinks the kid from Akron, Ohio could have been something special at the tight end position.
LeBron would have been an absolute monster on the football field… I see him just blocking the linebackers, blocking the safeties when needed, but also just dominating in the pass game. He’s a freak of an athlete. I feel like I really wish he tried out for the NFL…I was hoping to see that happen. I just wanted to see his athleticism translate to the football field because I’ve seen his high school highlights, the guy’s just an absolute beast.
LeBron certainly had the frame that could produce some major success in the NFL. At 6-foot-8 and 232 pounds, with a 4.6 40-yard dash time, his numbers immediately jumped off the charts.
As a Sporting News article notes, James played just two years of high school football, but put up some ridiculous numbers.
| LeBron James’ High School Football Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Catches | Yards | Touchdowns |
| Sophomore | 46 | 905 | 7 |
| Junior | 57 | 1,160 | 16 |
| Totals | 103 | 2,065 | 23 |
So the question is, would LeBron James have succeeded as a tight end in the NFL? Let’s look at the case why he would…
Patriots Legend Believes LeBron James Would Have Been a ‘Monster’ in the NFL
Gronk has weighed in on the NBA legend’s hypothetical two-sport potential.
His frame and catch radius from high school would have put him among some of the best TEs in the NFL.
With his 6-8 frame, and his dominant catch radius, plus coming from a basketball background, there are plenty of former basketball players who have made the transition to an NFL tight end with plenty of success. Just to name a few, in 2011, there were guys like Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, Julius Thomas. Today, a guy who has a similar build would be Mo Alie-Cox from the Indianapolis Colts.
Though he committed to basketball right away, it would still be fair to wonder if he altered his career ideals.
In high school, LeBron was on pace to finish with 46 total receiving touchdowns had he played all four years of high school football, which would have tied him with Marc Krauss of Hamler Patrick Henry High School and Kollin Stolar of Kenton High School, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association records website.
But what makes the transition from basketball to a football tight end easier?
Well, as the Sporting News article previously mentioned notes, the skill sets are similar between basketball players and tight ends.
Tight ends need to be big, able to block and use their larger frame to make contested catches in the middle of the field.
Basketball players, particularly forwards, need to be tall, and able to beat opponents to rebounds.
Some of the NFL’s most prolific tight ends were former basketball players.
Given that we have seen some former basketball players make incredible tight ends, it isn’t far-fetched to think LeBron could’ve done the same. After all, just look at some of these names.
| Star Tight Ends Who Were Former Basketball Players | |
|---|---|
| Player | NFL Seasons |
| Antonio Gates | 16 |
| Tony Gonzalez | 17 |
| Jimmy Graham | 13 |
Looking at the basketball backgrounds of some of the greatest tight ends in modern NFL history, it doesn’t seem crazy to think LeBron could’ve had similar success in the NFL.
As it turns out, LeBron did receive an opportunity to try out for a couple of NFL teams during the NBA lockout in 2011. Those teams? The Seattle Seahawks, the Dallas Cowboys, and his hometown squad, the Cleveland Browns.
He also drew some major interest out of high school from football hotbeds like Ohio State (who had just won the national championship during his senior year of high school in 2002-03), the University of Alabama, and even Notre Dame.
But, maybe, in the end, it was better for one sport that LeBron James stuck to playing basketball, and the career he has had on the hardwood is one that would be difficult to equate in the NFL.
He likely would have found a healthy amount of success as an NFL tight end, but that may be another story for another life.
