體育網站 Grantland 發表文章《Could LeBron James Really Play in the NFL?》

NBA 著名球星 LeBron James 除了籃球技術了得之外，就連打美式足球也相當耍家，在正式成為職業籃球員之前，高中時期的 LeBron James 就曾經參與美式足球運動，擔任外接員的位置，更被選入全州第一隊。數月前 LeBron James 接受媒體訪問時透露自己 40 碼的衝刺時間只需 4.6 秒，在美式足球這個講求瞬間爆炸力的運動來說，能夠在 4.6 秒衝刺 40 碼實在驚人，而目前在 NFL 聯盟中，亦只有兩名邊鋒能夠達到這項要求。

正當大家都對 LeBron James 轉打美式足球抱有期望之際，美國體育網站 Grantland 的編輯 Bill Barnwell 就發表了文章《Could LeBron James Really Play in the NFL?》，質疑 LeBron James 是否能夠擔任 NFL 美式足球員的能力。Bill Barnwell 不但從傷患及耐久力去評估 LeBron James 的實力，同時更提出數個實質例子去加強文章的說服力。以下為文章的部份節錄內容，請各位細心觀賞。完整內容可點擊此處瀏覽。

LeBron James is a freak athlete and a superstar capable of doing close to anything he wants on a basketball court. LeBron James was a very good wide receiver when he played high school football. Therefore, LeBron James would be an excellent pro football player if he ever decided to follow in Michael Jordan’s footsteps and switch sports midcareer. Right? That’s the story that has gone around for years, with many sharing the opinion expressed by Dez Bryant on Friday: James would be a “beast” of a player, most likely at tight end. Bryant even said he thinks it would take James just “two weeks” to get down the technique of being a receiver. Can it really be so simple?

I’m skeptical. I don’t doubt James’s athleticism, work ethic, or toughness, but there’s more to switching sports than it might seem. In fact, some aspects of James that translate well to basketball might actually be a net negative in football. And in the long run, I suspect that if he did move to football, he might be better off at a different position.

Perhaps the biggest thing that would hold James back from being an excellent football player for a long time would be the same thing that helps him excel as a mismatch in basketball: his height. James is listed at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, but there have been suggestions that he has grown since arriving in the league, to around 6-foot-9 and the 255- to 275-pound range. It doesn’t really matter. In either case, while LeBron’s height would make him a terror on jump balls1 in the end zone (as Bryant suggested), his height would also leave him susceptible to something he doesn’t have to fend off in basketball:2 an endless stream of defenders diving at his knees and ankles. Health is a skill, and as a player, protecting yourself from injuries is part of the job. With James’s size and strength, safeties would likely resort to diving at his ankles and knees to bring him down, increasing his risk of injury. It might not be physically possible for a player that size to protect himself from low hits downfield.