Lakers' LeBron James 'Absolutely' Thinks about Playing in March Madness Every Year

LeBron James has gotten to experience almost everything there is to experience when it comes to the game of basketball.

Except for playing in March Madness.

"Absolutely," he said when JJ Redick asked him if he ever thinks about playing in the Big Dance in the latest episode of their Mind the Game podcast (22-minute mark). "Twenty-one years later. This is the only time, though. March Madness, right now, is the only time I think about playing college basketball. For 21 straight years."

While James has said he would have played at Ohio State if he did go to college, there was never any doubt he was headed straight to the NBA out of high school.

After all, he was deemed "The Chosen One" on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he played for St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron, Ohio, and was the unquestioned No. 1 overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft.

That draft included nine eventual All-Stars such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, but James was the obvious choice for a reason. And he somehow not only delivered on those sky-high expectations, he surpassed them during a career that includes four championships and four league MVPs.

Had James been slightly younger, he could have played in March Madness. The NBA instituted its one-and-done rule after the 2005 draft, which meant players had to be at least a year removed from their high school careers to go to the sport's highest level.

The 2006-07 Buckeyes benefitted from that rule with Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. playing in college instead of going straight to the NBA, and they helped lead them to the national title game.

Ohio State fans can only dream of James being on that team as well, and he might also think about it when he envisions playing in March Madness.