Davante Adams has incredibly bold take about how good LeBron James could've been in NFL

USA Today

09-07-2025

Adams had some seriously high praise for LeBron as an all-around athlete
LeBron James certainly chose the right career path when he pursued basketball over football in high school, but there will always be the question of 'what if?'
What if he committed to football instead of basketball? Could he have played in the NFL? After all, he was a two-time All-Ohio wide receiver, scoring 27 touchdowns in his career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
It's been debated several times and Davante Adams has no doubt James would've excelled as a football player. Not only that, but he thinks he would've gone on to become one of the best wide receivers or tight ends in NFL history.
'He would've been one of the best receivers, tight ends of all time. No question," Adams said on the "Dan Patrick Show" Wednesday. "I don't know if you've ever seen him play football – yeah, he can fly, too. That's the thing. He's one of the fastest NBA players probably of all time. I've never seen somebody cover space on the basketball court, maybe John Wall or Derrick Rose. Somebody like that, but he's up there with all of them.'
James is listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, so he would be a different specimen catching passes on the outside, or even playing tight end. Rob Gronkowski, for instance, was 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds during his playing days and he's considered a massive tight end.
It'd be hard for a 5-foot-11 cornerback to cover someone with James' height, strength and leaping ability, which is what made him such a special football player in high school. There's no question he could've played high-level college football and probably would've had success in the NFL if he chose that path, but he picked the right career, to say the least.
It's still fun to think about what could've been if he laced up his cleats on the gridiron instead of basketball shoes on the hardwood.