LeBron James names the two NFL teams that offered him contracts that he 'seriously considered' accepting

He is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, but LeBron James once almost left the NBA to try his hand in the NFL.

How James would fare in other sports has often been a fun topic for fans to discuss. UFC commentator Joe Rogan once even suggested that the basketball icon would have been unstoppable as an MMA fighter.

The most common sport James has been associated with if he ever fancied a career switch is American football. With his size – at 6ft 9ins and around 250lbs –athleticism and hand-eye coordination, "The King" has all the tools to be a success on the gridiron.

And James has admitted that a jump to the NFL once nearly came to fruition for the four-time NBA MVP.

LeBron celebrates against the Pacers. Image: PA Images

"The only time I've really taken it super-duper seriously was in 2011 when we had the NBA lockout," James told NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce on their New Heights podcast.

"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 bit back then.

"I was still young enough to get out there with y'all, but that's the only time I've actually seriously considered it."

In 2021, while appearing as a guest on the Manning Cast – an alternative NFL game broadcast hosted by quarterback brother Eli and Peyton Manning – James even named two teams who gave him concrete offers.

“That’s true. [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones offered me a contract. Also [Seahawks coach] Pete Carroll did as well in Seattle during our lockout time,”

“It definitely got my blood flowing again, and got my mind racing again, thinking about the game of football — you know, being out there on Sundays. … I still got the jersey too that Jerry and Pete Carroll sent me from 2011.”

James was a standout wide receiver in high school and received recruitment interest from major colleges. He told the Mannings that things might have worked out differently for him if he'd have played with a signal caller of their calibre.

“I think if I would’ve had a better quarterback in high school, I might’ve continued to play football," he said. "But I took way too many hits that led me to the basketball court."