LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, once thought seriously about playing in the NFL. During the 2011 NBA lockout, he faced uncertainty about basketball’s future and considered switching to football. The idea became real when Pete Carroll invited him to try out for the Seattle Seahawks.
Pete Carroll’s Offer Made LeBron Think Twice
“During the 2010-11 NBA season, we had a lockout,” LeBron James said. “Pete Carroll was at Seattle. He reached out, actually sent me a jersey, told me to come to camp, told me to come out if you wanted a tryout, whatever the case may be.”
Carroll’s direct approach reignited James’s deep connection with football.
“That was a pretty cool moment for me because my love for football and my love for the NFL runs deep,” he said. “I actually had begun doing more football training drills, to see if that was even a possibility.”
Football Always Held a Special Place for LeBron
Before he dominated the NBA, James starred as a high school wide receiver in Ohio. His size, strength, and athleticism helped him excel on the field. That background made Carroll’s offer especially appealing.
“Continue to still have like memories and dreams and things of that nature about playing a game of football. Because it was my first love,” James said. “It was a real consideration. It was a real consideration for sure.”
He revisited the topic on New Heights, the podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce. “The only time I’ve really taken it super-duper seriously was in 2011 when we had the NBA lockout,” he said. “And I didn’t know when we were going to make the deal with the owners and get our league back going, so I actually thought about it a little back then.”
Basketball Career Took Priority, But “What If” Remains
The lockout ended, and James returned to lead the Miami Heat to two NBA titles in 2012 and 2013. Yet the thought of him suiting up for an NFL team still fascinates fans.
At 6-foot-9, with rare speed and power, James could have dominated as a tight end or wide receiver. He chose basketball, and that decision built one of the greatest careers in sports. Still, his brief consideration of football remains one of the biggest “what if” stories in modern athletics.
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