LeBron James says he ‘absolutely’ considered swapping the NBA for the NFL during the 2011 lockout

NBA superstar LeBron James told the Kelce brothers on their “New Heights” podcast that he considered trading basketballs for footballs and moving to the NFL during the 2011 NBA lockout.

LeBron James has achieved almost everything you can in the NBA. But for a brief moment, it could’ve been a very different story. James is a well-known, passionate NFL fan – he has been seen throughout the years at games involving his hometown Cleveland Browns – but during the 2011 NBA lockout, he “absolutely” considered switching the hardwood for the gridiron. “I didn’t know when we were going to make the deal with the owners and get our league back going,” James said on Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, hosted by Super Bowl-winning brothers Jason and Travis Kelce. “So I actually thought about it a little bit back then. “I was still young enough to get out there with y’all. That’s the only time I’ve seriously considered it. I’ve had serious dreams about this sh*t all the time. And in my dream, the ball is never kicked off. It’s me in the warmups, it’s me coming out, running my routes and right when the game starts, I f**king wake up or some sh*t. That lets me know I’m not supposed to be out there.” James is one of basketball’s greatest ever players, but before he was drafted into the NBA in 2003, he was a star at the high school level in both football and hoops. He led St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to three basketball state championships while also playing wide receiver for the school, being named First Team All-State in his sophomore year.