DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown paid tribute to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade by recreating an iconic 2010 celebration.
The NFL used to be home to some of the best celebrations in all of sports. While the league cracked down on excessive celebrations, teams and players still find ways of amping up the crowd.
Philadelphia Eagles duo DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown did exactly that by recreating the iconic alley-oop from Dwyane Wade to LeBron James on the Heat in 2010.
James and Wade’s moment will always be more iconic than any recreation because of the stakes within which they happened. Wade and ‘Bron were on a fast break mid-game, and Wade decided to no-look alley the ball to James. The coldest bit about this is that Wade started celebrating before James had even completed the dunk, leading to one of the most iconic images in NBA history.
Naturally, the Eagles celebration didn’t look like that. Nonetheless, it was a great moment for the team and the players. LeBron has plenty of friends and professional admirers in the NFL, with a long-standing belief that James could’ve been a dominant athlete in the NFL if he hadn’t chosen basketball.
LeBron James Almost Played In The NFL
LeBron James could’ve made history as one of the only athletes with no football experience after high school to make an NFL roster in 2011. An urban legend that existed for years was that James had received contract offers from NFL teams during the 2011 lockout. James later confirmed this, namedropping the Cowboys and Seahawks as the two teams that tried recruiting him.
“That’s true. Jerry Jones offered me a contract, also Pete Carroll did as well in Seattle, during our lockout time. It definitely got my blood flowing again, it got my mind racing again thinking about the game of football, being out there on Sunday. You know, we was able to get a deal done in the NBA, and I was back on the court in no time. But I definitely thought about it. I still got the jersey too, that Jerry and Pete Carroll sent me from 2011.”
Thankfully, James stuck with his sport of choice, which was basketball. The 2011 lockout ended soon after and James went on to win four NBA titles, two with the Heat, one with the Cavs, and one with the Lakers.
He’s still hoping to add more titles a few months away from age 39, but any possible NFL chapter is definitely in the rearview.
Shannon Sharpe Said LeBron Wouldn’t Be A Good Tight End In The NFL
Shannon Sharpe is one of LeBron’s biggest advocates in sports media, once almost fighting an NBA roster because they disrespected the King. Despite that, Shannon gave a very honest statement on why LeBron would’ve not been a good NFL tight end.
“Hell no! He doesn’t know how to get off-press. They’re gonna press him. You’d be foolish not to press him. Because he’s gonna jump over the top of you and catch it.”
Many believe that James would’ve been an ultra-athletic wide receiver if he was in the NFL, using his size, strength, speed, and coordination to be a play finisher. His vision shows he could’ve even tried his hand at quarterback. His skill-set is extremely varied so he’d likely end up being a multi-positional player in the NFL.
It’s impossible to say if James could’ve replicated his NBA success if he chose the NFL. I’d lean towards no because James wouldn’t have been able to have the longevity in sport nor the immense public profile that individual NBA stars build as compared to NFL stars.
