Lakers News: LeBron James Has ‘Absolutely’ Thought About Playing In March Madness

Matthew Valento
3 Min Read
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

With his 21st campaign nearing a close, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has established that he can still play at a high level despite being at 39 years of age.

Shockingly, this would be the healthiest season he’s had since being a part of the Lakers if he can get to the 68-game mark. This is remarkable as the four-time champion is somehow more available in the latter stages of his career while also playing at an extremely high lever.

The future Hall of Famer has experienced a lot in his illustrious career, but one thing he never experienced was college basketball. On the latest episode of ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with JJ Reddick, James revealed that he still thinks about playing in March Madness, one of the biggest sporting events in the world:

“Absolutely. Yeah, 21 years late (I’m still thinking about it). This is the only time though. This is the only time, March Madness right now, is the only time I think about playing college basketball. For 21 straight years. I don’t watch much college basketball. This year I watched a ton of it, obviously, because Bronny is in college so I was there watching the games. But it doesn’t translate for me. It frustrates me, my high blood pressure picks up… So I try to stay away from it, but I love basketball so I find myself watching it anyways.”

Due to the media attention that James garnered during his time with St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, if he ultimately decided to go through the college route, there would have been endless scholarship offers. It would certainly be a sight to see if the Lakers star would’ve participated in the tournament, presumably putting up some iconic performances during March Madness.

With James growing up in Ohio, perhaps Ohio State would have been the favorite to land him should that opportunity have presented itself. When putting everything into perspective, this scenario becomes one of the greatest what-ifs in the world of sports.

LeBron James addresses Bronny transfer portal rumors

James has been transparent about wanting to play with his oldest son Bronny in the NBA, who finished playing his freshman season with the USC Trojans. After some struggles adjusting to the collegiate level, Bronny could stick around another year before playing professionally.

A rumor surfaced of the 19-year-old entering the transfer portal to look for a new opportunity and his father addressed it by sharing full support of his son regardless of what he decides.

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Matthew Valento graduated from Boise State University with a major in integrated media and strategic communications and a minor in journalism. He grew up in Santa Clarita, California and played basketball at Saugus High School. Along with writing for LakersNation.com, Matthew also hosts a basketball podcast called, "The Basketball Maestros." Contact: MattV@MediumLargeLA.com Twitter: @matthewvalento Instagram: matthew.valento
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