LeBron James talks Cleveland, the battle for Christmas Day and more with Kelce brothers
James also touched on his longevity and shared which NBA players he believes could transition to football.
The three kings of Northeast Ohio came together on the latest episode of New Heights, with Akron native LeBron James joining the Kelce brothers for an interview.
James was a dual-sport athlete before committing to just basketball as a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. Soon after he was picked No. 1 in the 2003 draft by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, the team both Jason and Travis Kelce grew up rooting for.
Now, all three are sports superstars representing their hometown from afar. Here are some of the highlights of their episode...
Which league owns Christmas?
Christmas is one of the centerpieces of the NBA season. The league places its biggest marquee matchups on the holiday and nationally televises a five-game slate on ABC and ESPN.
But in recent years, the NFL has ramped up its own Christmas Day operation, thanks to Netflix purchasing the rights to air games on their streaming service on the holiday for three years. Netflix started with a bang in 2024, bringing Beyoncé in to perform the halftime show in her hometown of Houston for Ravens vs. Texans.
“The games weren’t as great as they should have been, but when you have Beyoncé coming on?” James said. “... You know when you go out there and you have your little brother, and he gets beat up one time? You’re like ‘We didn’t lose that fight! We’re still here!’ That’s how I felt. I have to stand up for the NBA.”
LeBron’s longevity
James turned 40 in December, and set the all-time points scored records in the regular season and playoffs in recent years. James lasted long enough to play alongside his son, Bronny, which James said is “probably the No. 1 accomplishment” in his long NBA career.
When James turned 30 a decade ago, some thought that his decline was imminent. Ten years later, he’s proved otherwise.
“I saw that tweet throughout all of my 30s, and I laughed at it so hard every single time,” James said. “You want to know what’s funny? When I turned 40, the same [expletive] guy said, ‘LeBron turned 40, this won’t go on much longer.’ He’s going to be real upset when I turn 50.”
Who in the NBA could make the jump to the NFL?
James grew up as a football player — and during the 2011 NBA lockout, he said he seriously thought about trying to give it a go in the NFL. James, who played receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary, said he thought he’d be a Rob Gronkowski type.
Who else from the NBA could make the jump? James said Russell Westbrook would be a great free safety, and he thought Anthony Edwards also had the skills to play football.
“If an NBA guy decides to go play in the NFL, yes, it’s going to take a transition period,” James said. “For me it would have been getting used to getting hit again. I remember in high school I used to go from summertime playing AAU ball and going into the fall, I had to get used to getting hit again.
“Those first three practices once you put on the shoulder pads and the helmet, getting hits again, and then getting the cadence back, getting your routes back. But once you get into a groove, it’s like riding a bike.”