- LeBron James stated last year that he still has an “itch” to play football
- Charles Barkley thinks LeBron has no shot and gets mad when he says it
- Barkley named the one NBA player who could play in the NFL
Charles Barkley is tired of hearing LeBron James say he can play football at the highest level. Barkley recently made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, where he was asked to put together a football lineup from basketball players when he let his feelings out on LeBron’s claims.
“Please don’t say LeBron,” Barkley said. “This dude be making me so mad thinking he can play football. Yeah, he played football in high school because he was bigger than everybody else. What’s one thing about the pros, you’re not bigger or faster than anybody else.”
(starts at 6:57 mark):
LeBron was actually a star football player at Sierra Canyon. He was named first-team All-State at the end of his second year, and clips of James playing football in high school often go viral.
He ultimately chose to pursue a career in basketball, but, from time to time, has expressed a desire to play in the NFL. During an episode of “The Shop” in 2022, LeBron said he can certainly play football.
“If I was in the red zone, especially in the red zone,” James said. “One-on-one, they got to put more in the box defensively, meet me out there with one of those small little cornerbacks. Just throw it up. Just throw it up.”
When Maverick Carter said he could do more than just red zone, LeBron agreed, “No, no I can do more than the red zone.”
Carter then asked if he still had the itch to play football and James replied, “Yeah. I still got the itch to play.”
Considering he had success at the high school level and the fact that he loves the sport, I can’t blame LeBron for at times feeling that he can do it. James shared that he had even gotten contracts from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks to play in the NFL in 2011.
Shannon Sharpe Doesn’t Think LeBron James Would Do Well In The NFL
Shannon Sharpe might just be the biggest LeBron fan in the sports media world, but he doesn’t think the 38-year-old would cut it in the NFL. Sharpe ripped the idea of James being a great NFL tight end, as he said teams would use press coverage against him.
Sharpe doesn’t think LeBron can get off against press coverage and didn’t give him a shot to even get a couple of touchdowns. If Sharpe, of all people, doesn’t think he could do it, I’d certainly not love his chances. Meanwhile, his current co-host Stephen A. Smith said LeBron wouldn’t last more than a year in the NFL.
Charles Barkley Named The NBA Player He Thinks Would Do Well In The NFL
While Sharpe doesn’t think any NBA player can make a successful transition to the NFL, Barkley thinks there are some who can do it. He pointed to the guards in the NBA, and one name, in particular, came to his mind. (starts at 7:15 mark):
“I think my guards like 6’2″-6’3″, they would make (it) like a Russell Westbrook,” Barkley said. “Guys like that, built sturdy. I think they would make great wide receivers or safeties… Had he played football, he would have been All-Pro as a safety or corner.”
Barkley did add, though, that most of the NBA players are simply not tough enough to play football. He stated that the players are more skilled now, but they’re not all that tough anymore.
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