LeBron James Details Nearly Joining NFL During NBA 2011 Lockout

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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center on March 03, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
LeBron James nearly got into football with Doc Rivers even saying that he'd be one hell of a player.

LeBron James is easily one of the greatest athletes of our generation and that apparently extends past the NBA. In a recent interview on the Uninterrupted podcast, Bron detailed the concerns surrounding the 2011 NBA lockout that nearly resulted in his foray into the NFL. The Lakers star, who was with the Miami Heat at that point, revealed that he began to train in anticipation that he might go into the NFL. "I had no idea how long the lockout was going to be," he said. "We really started to actually train to be a football player when it came to October or November," he said.

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He revealed that his entire workout routine shifted towards going into the NFL such as adding more weights when bench pressing and sled pushing. Maverick Carter chimed in and said that the shift in work outs wasn't for nothing either since the Dallas Cowboys had reached out with an offer. 

Ultimately, the NBA resumed and Lebron was back on the court but he admits that he's continued to have dreams about joining the NFL.

"It’s crazy because I actually never run on the field in my dreams," James said. "It always gets to the point where I’m either in the locker room or getting dressed or talking about or seeing the fans and as soon as I’m about to run on the field, something else happens in my dream. It’s like something that it always happens like that."


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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