Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a generational athlete who had multiple avenues available to him growing up.
James has built a Hall of Fame career in the NBA and is currently on a quest to bring another championship to the Lakers in Year 20, but in high school he also showed major promise as a football prospect. The superstar made the correct choice to pursue basketball, but it’s always fun to wonder if he had chosen football or another sport to chase.
With college football back on the airwaves, James has been deeply invested in the sport and it even prompted him to wonder about his own college eligibility, via his Twitter account:
Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work?
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 24, 2022
James was one of the few basketball prospects to forego college and jump straight to the NBA, making his question a valid one. According to the NCAA rule book, because he is a professional basketball player, he is ineligible for that sport. However, per the NCAA Division 1 manual, “a professional athlete in one sport may represent a member institution in a different sport and may receive institutional financial assistance in the second sport.”
This would mean should James choose to, he could theoretically enroll in a college university and presumably play football or another sport of his choosing. There’s precedent for this as James’ former teammate JR Smith enrolled into N.C. A&T State University where he is on the golf team.
The Laker star has teased about playing football before, so this could be nothing more than him asking a question out loud. However, after his basketball career is done and his curiosity still exists, then he can technically scratch that itch at the collegiate level.
Canelo Alvarez believes LeBron James could have been boxer
With his physical traits and otherworldly athleticism, James could excel at any sport if he put the time and effort into it. In an interview with GQ Sports, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was asked about James’ prospects as a boxer and he responded by saying he thinks he could’ve done it.
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