Lakers News: NFL Team Captain Gets Honest About LeBron James' Upside as TE

Matt Levine | Sep 2, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers are about to begin a new NBA season, still relying heavily on superstar LeBron James. Despite James entering his record 22nd season in the league, he is still going strong on the court.

The longevity of James is something that we have never seen before and it's a big reason why many people believe that he is the Greatest of All Time. James has found different ways to continue dominating on the court despite his advanced age.

Now close to the age of 40, James relies more on his smarts and pure power than his athleticism, even though he can still show off in the air. But his longevity has brought up the question of whether James could play another sport.

There has always been thought that he could succeed in the NFL as a tight end and a lot of people have different opinions on the matter. His skill set could work but football is such a different sport with the physicality.

Well one star defensive player gave his thoughts on the matter.

Philadelphia Eagles star defender Brandon Graham appeared on Scoop B Radio and spoke with NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. Within the conversation, Graham weighed in on the chances that James could succeed in the NFL.

"Mannn… I don’t know about that one though. Like, playing in that trench like that? It’s different from the transition from basketball to football because it’s more physical. Going from football to basketball, I think yes. But basketball to football? Naw. Because the beating that your body goes through already in basketball is totally different because now you’re fighting a man with your hands, for real. I mean, it might work for a couple games but you gotta for 18 -- well, they want 18 [games]..."

Most NFL players have said that they believe James could play football at a high level so Graham's honesty is interesting. James' athleticism likely could allow him to play the game but it would take him some time before he fully was able to dominate on the field.

Some athletes like James have the ability to just thrive around sports and it would be interesting to see happen. He almost joined the NFL when the NBA was on strike in the early 2010s so that would have been a sight to see.

We likely won't ever know if James could play in the NFL but it's a fun thought to speculate about.

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