Before LeBron James was the superstar of the NBA, he was a wide receiver for St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. He gave up football his senior year of high school to focus on basketball, which seems to have worked out well for him. James has made comments in the past that the NFL would have likely been his future if he remained in football instead of basketball and one NFL star is thinking a career change would not be a bad idea.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is pretty confident James could make the switch to the NFL and be a "beast" in the league. When asked by ESPNDallas.com if he thought James could make the NFL his new career, Bryant was pretty confident that the 6-foot-8 Miami star could be a great tight end or receiver.
"That dude is just that talented," said Bryant. "I think it would take him probably about a good two weeks to get very acquainted with football, knowing what he's supposed to do. I think that's all he'd need with his physical ability. I've seen a little bit of his highlights from high school. He's got the hands, he can run the routes, he's fast enough. He could play in this league if he put it all together."
James considers himself a diehard Cowboys fan and has always joked about playing in the NFL at some point. Hey, if Michael Jordan can be a two-sport professional athlete, James certainly could too. Bryant believes that the four-time regular-season MVP has the height, speed and leaping ability to make him an excellent target in the endzone.
"All he'd need to do is probably work on a little technique," Bryant said. "It's not like he's never played football before. He has played football. I think he'd be a beast in the red zone. I think he could do it. I think he could do it, seriously."
Bryant knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful in the NFL. The receiver is coming off a breakout season with the Cowboys after putting up 1,382 yards on 92 catches for 12 touchdowns. Bryant is fully healthy and ready to repeat that success. Maybe one year, Bryant will be able to call James a teammate on the Cowboys, but for now the NBA star will stick to basketball.
