Sports

LeBron James seeks out NCAA eligibility for another sport

Lakers star LeBron James is one of the best, and arguably the best, basketball player of all time.

But that’s not stopping him from continuing to explore his future in other sports.

James was once a star football player in high school, having even been recruited by the University of Notre Dame. His 1,160 receiving yards in his junior year are still the second-most in the school’s history.

He even considered playing in the NFL during the NBA lockout in 2011, and was offered contracts by the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.

With his basketball career on its back end, he might be seriously considering taking his talents elsewhere.

“Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work?” he tweeted on Saturday.

LeBron James throws a football prior to a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 28, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio.

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James went straight from high school to the NBA. Because he’s a professional basketball player, he cannot go back to school to play that sport.

But according to the NCAA Division I manual, “a professional athlete in one sport may represent a member institution in a different sport and may receive institutional financial assistance in the second sport.”

In 2021, J.R. Smith, a former teammate of James, enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University and joined the golf team. He was named the school’s Academic Athlete of the Year, receiving a 4.0 GPA. He is on the roster for the golf season, as well.

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a free throw during the game against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 28, 2021 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.

For now, James is signed through the 2024-25 season, but perhaps he’ll seek an NFL deal after that.

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