Lakers’ LeBron James Sends Words of Encouragement to Spiraling NFL Star

James offered some encouraging words to this NFL player.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James offered encouraging words to Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young after he was benched on Monday.

The Panthers benched Young in favor of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton Monday to give them a better chance at winning. The Panthers were blown out during their first two games of the season to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers by a combined score of 73-13 with Young under center.

James posted on X in support of Young on Tuesday. "Bryce Young hold ya head Young!! Rooting for you and know this ain’t on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail!"

Bryce Young hold ya head Young 🤴🏾!! Rooting for you and know this ain’t on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail! 🙏🏾🫡👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 18, 2024

James of course cannot exactly relate to what Young has gone through to start his career. While both were the No. 1 overall picks in their respective drafts, James was successful out of the game. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2004, and was already an NBA All-Star during his second professional season. Young has completely fallen short of expectations to this point.

Through two games, Young had not thrown a touchdown pass and on Sunday he only recorded 84 yards and an interception on 18 completions. On the season, he has completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards and three interceptions.

The No. 1 overall pick during the 2023 NFL Draft also struggled during his rookie campaign, when he completed just 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Panthers won just two games, and finished with the worst record in the NFL.

The blame of course does not only fall on Young, who did not have a strong supporting cast around him. To get the No. 1 overall pick to draft Young, the Panthers traded their best receiver, D.J. Moore, to the Chicago Bears. The Panthers could not protect him, as he was sacked 62 times during his rookie season.

Still, the encouragement from James comes as Young navigates one of the hardest times of his football career, and the second-year quarterback could very well need it. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who went through a relatively similar situation, also said that Young's story is "far from over."

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