LeBron James joined ESPN’s “Manning Cast” with Peyton and Eli Manning for their Week 3 broadcast.
As the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in “Monday Night Football,” the Los Angeles Lakers superstar joined the retired NFL quarterbacks, sharing a story about the time he considered giving pro football a shot.
James shared that early into the 2011 NBA lockout, the owner of his favorite team, Jerry Jones, offered him a contract.
“Jerry Jones offered me a contract,” James confirmed. “Also, Pete Carroll did as well in Seattle during our lockout time. And it definitely got my blood flowing again, got my mind racing again thinking about the game of football, you know? Being out there on Sundays. But we were able to get a deal done in the NBA and I was back on the court in no time.”
Peyton Manning noted that at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, James was quite the high school football player, and the broadcast shared old footage of the NBA champion getting tackled down by four defenders while playing tight end.
Ultimately, too many hits swayed him towards basketball in school, but when the NFL came knocking he definitely gave it some credence.
“I definitely thought about it.” James admitted. “I still have the jerseys, too, that Jerry and Carroll sent me from 2011.”
