“Always an inspiration” - Belgium international footballer Christian Benteke expresses admiration for LeBron James through a tweet
LeBron James and the Premier League have a bond that can be traced back to 2011.
The LA Lakers superstar holds 2% of the ownership stakes for Liverpool. Furthermore, he is a minor partner with Fenway Sports Group, the company that owns the Reds. James can often be found congratulating the 2019 Premier League champions via his Twitter account for their achievements.
The bond between the Premier League and LBJ, until now, had mostly been linked with Liverpool. But it seems that the four-time NBA Champion is becoming increasingly famous amongst players of other clubs as well. In a recent tweet, Christian Benteke tagged LeBron James along with a statement that read:
"Always an inspiration, @KingJames"
Always an inspiration, @KingJames 👑 twitter.com/CBSSportsGolaz…
Benteke's tweet was a retweet of the footballer imitating LeBron James' signature celebration.
Who is LeBron James' latest fan from the football world?
Christian Benteke is a professional footballer who plays for Crystal Palace, an English club that plays in the Premier League.
Benteke has scored 84 goals and recorded 22 assists while appearing in 266 combined games for Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. In fact, he played with the Reds for two seasons between 2015 and 2017 and scored nine goals for them before being traded to Palace.
Apart from his club career, the former Aston Villa striker has also played 43 international games for Belgium, and has 17 goals and six assists to his name. Six of his goals for his country were scored in friendlies, while 11 were scored in qualifiers.
[Media: Liverpool Echo] LeBron James eyes piece of £42bn industry with Liverpool and FSG partners dlvr.it/SCSzxJ https://t.co/wyoLC6UMOg
James and Benteke are connected only by Liverpool. However, the footballer has long since moved to a different club, so it's safe to assume that his adoration of the Lakers star is genuine.
The source of the Belgian footballer's reverence is widely considered by many to be amongst the greatest basketball players ever. LeBron James is a 17-time All-Star, a four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP and the 2003-04 Rookie of the Year.
The ongoing NBA season marks the 18th campaign of LeBron's career in the NBA. Set to turn 37 in December, he has averaged 24.8 points and seven assists per game so far. However, he has already missed eight games due to injury this season though he is expected to return to the court soon.