In a new article on the one-time football career of LeBron James, the superstar indicates that he was offered tryouts with both the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks and claims he would have made either of those teams.
Christopher Kamrani and Bill Oram looked at how James’ brief football career as a receiver ended in high school, only to be tantalizingly reconsidered when the NBA lockout took place in 2011
“After the Miami Heat were beaten in six games by the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA lockout followed, leaving James to harbor pent-up frustration from a Finals failure and a season on the rocks,” Kamrani and Oram wrote. “As other players around the league played exhibition games, James said he seriously considered an offer to try out for the Dallas Cowboys. He adjusted his training regimen and started running routes again.
“Jerry Jones offered him the chance to play. In Seattle, Pete Carroll shipped him a custom Seahawks jersey, along with an invitation.
“What may have been seen as a publicity stunt was far from a gimmick to James.
“’I would have made the team,’ he said. ‘I would have tried out, but I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don’t mind working for something, so if I would have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I’d have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I’d have tried (out), but I would have made the team. I just know what I’m capable of doing on the football field. Especially at that age.’ James was just shy of his 27th birthday when the lockout ended on Christmas day.”
James has previously indicated that he is a big fan of the Cowboys, with the Seahawks’ invitation coming just after Carroll’s first year as head coach and only a few years before the Seahawks won a Super Bowl title.
The invitations came at a time when James had just endured a season’s worth of verbal abuse for signing with the Heat and then failed to win in the NBA Finals. At that time, he had yet to lead a team to a league title, which added to his frustration.
During his short high school football career, James showed impressive talent as a wide receiver. However, by the time of the 2011 invitations, his larger build may have shifted him to tight end.
The fact that the NFL and NBA seasons overlap would have presumably precluded James from being a two-sport athlete, while the Heat most likely made every effort to make sure James’ football dreams came to an end.
James has been durable on the basketball court, but he may have met the same fate as former baseball and football star Bo Jackson had he played football. In January 1991, Jackson suffered a severe hip injury while playing for the then-Los Angeles Raiders, which ended up shortening his athletic career.
While James indicated to The Athletic that thoughts of a football career continue to stay with him, it’s clear that he made the wise decision in sticking with basketball.
