LeBron James Says Why He Didn't Play HS Football His Senior Year on Instagram

LeBron James' love of football has been well-documented over the years.

The best basketball player of his era had all the tools to earn that moniker on the gridiron as well. Now James has admitted why that wasn't the case—and why he stopped playing after his junior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School in Akron: His fellow basketball teammates threatened to beat him up if he tried to strap on the pads again.

In an Instagram post on Saturday night, James showed off a feature from his football playing days as a wide receiver and gave his explanation for leaving that sport behind.

"[My teammates] said if I tried to step on a football field my senior year they would jump(kick my a**) me every day of practice until I had enough!" James wrote. "Think I made a smart decision! Ha! Anyways you LB/CB/S can thank my homies I stayed over in the hoops lane or would have been plenty of highlights 'Moss'd' on y'all."

The teammates he tagged were Sian Cotton, Brandon Weems, Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis and Frankie Walker, with whom James is still close. Still, after posting 57 catches for 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, it's easy to imagine what he could have done as a senior—let alone in college or the pros.

It's safe to say things worked out for James anyways, but if he still has an urge to get back on the football field, the Cleveland Browns would surely be happy to give him a spot on the roster.