"He wasn't going to live life being afraid" - NBA insider reveals LeBron James contemplating football career in junior year after Aaliyah's death
Only a few athletes have the ability to showcase their skills across different sports, and LeBron James is one of them. During his high school years, he distinguished himself as one of the best football receivers in his school, a testament to his versatility and skill beyond the basketball court.
Aside from being part of the basketball team, LeBron excelled as a wide receiver for St. Vincent–St. Mary’s football team. Some Division I programs, including Notre Dame, even tried to recruit him.
Although his football career was relatively brief, it nearly came to an end even sooner, NBA insider Brian Windhorst said Wednesday.
“[LeBron James] was going to stop playing [football] after his sophomore year, then Aaliyah, one of his favorite singers, died in a plane crash. He decided he wasn't going to live life being afraid,” Windhorst said in NBA Today.
Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash on Aug. 25, 2001 as she was traveling back to the USA after a music video shoot in the Bahamas. The crash, which was due to overloading of the aircraft and pilot error, claimed the lives of nine people, including the "Princess of R&B," who was just 22 at the time.
“Aaliyah's passing got him to come up the sidelines. He skipped the start of his junior year. He missed the first game of the year. He joined the second game with no practice, no training camp. He played 12 games. He had 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns and was one of the great receivers in the history of the school," Windhorst said.
LeBron James, who was first-team all-state in his second year, guided the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals as a junior.
Unfortunately, in his senior year, a wrist injury sustained during an AAU basketball game sidelined him from football.
LeBron James strongly considered football during 2011 NBA lockout
When the NBA paused because of a lockout in 2011, LeBron James strongly considered playing professional football. He said that he received invitations for tryouts from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks.
In an interview with The Athletic in 2021, James said he would have made either NFL team if he wanted to.
"I would have tried out, but I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don't mind working for something, so if I would have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I'd have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I'd have tried [out], but I would have made the team,” he said.
It would have been intriguing to see LeBron James in the NFL given his elite athleticism during his younger years.