AS THE NBA’S ALL TIME LEADING SCORER AND A 20-TIME ALL STAR, LEBRON JAMES IS UNDENIABLY THE CURRENT KING OF THE COURT (WE’LL SKIP THE TERM GOAT TO SAVE A SUPERFAN SCUFFLE WITH MJ DEVOTEES), BUT THE LAKERS POWER FORWARD IS ALSO RACKING UP PRAISE AND ACCOLADES OUTSIDE THE CRYPTO ARENA FOR HIS TALENTS IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN

BY WILL HARRIS

LeBron James is a legend on the basketball court, playing with a degree of skill that he’s successfully passed on to his son Bronny, who was recently selected by the Los Angeles Lakers during the second round of the NBA Draft. (Indeed, James and son are currently poised to be the first father-son duo to actively play together on the same team.) But whenever the time comes for James to leave sports behind, he’s already managed to place himself in a position where he can easily shift into a new profession: acting.

PXJPFH Los Angeles, CA, USA. 22nd Oct, 2018. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James #23 passing San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay #22 during the first half of the San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 22, 2018. (Photo by Jevone Moore) Credit: csm/Alamy Live News

No, we’re not talking about his skills when it comes to drama on the court, which GTD Sports criticized in 2021, stating that James has “developed an acute ability to pull an attention-grabbing narrative right out of his a**.” We’re talking about being a proper thespian. James’ filmography kicked off in 2005, when he voiced himself on an episode of The Simpsons, seeking Homer’s help in developing an obnoxious celebration dance for key moments on the court. From there, he played himself on Entourage, voiced himself again on SpongeBob SquarePants and The Cleveland Show, and, for 23 episodes between 2011 and 2014, voiced all four main characters (Wise, Business, Athlete, and Kid) in the YouTube animated series The LeBrons.

But it was arguably his role in a superstar-stacked Judd Apatow film in 2015 that really cemented James’ ability to deliver laughs, with critic Ian Crouch writing in The New Yorker, “Based on the unscientific metric of audience laugh rate during a well attended Sunday matinee, LeBron James is the funniest person in Trainwreck, a movie written by and starring one culture-certified comedy genius, Amy Schumer…and featuring the likes of Bill Hader, Colin Quinn, Dave Attell, Vanessa Bayer, and Mike Birbiglia.”

Jan 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

To say that James got more laughs than the comedians in that crew…well, that’s saying something.

So are we likely to see James pursuing acting full-time whenever (or, if ever?) he finally leaves basketball behind? It’s hard to say at this point, but he’s clearly proven that he could…and if he did, we’ve no doubt that he’d score big.