LeBron James: basketball icon, entrepreneur and Los Angeles … Dodgers minor leaguer? Probably not, but it’s worth a shot!
Following Tuesday’s news that James told the Los Angeles Lakers he intends to leave the Lakeshow after eight seasons, social media lit up with suitors vying for his services, basketball or otherwise. While several NBA franchises are likely to make their best attempt to woo James, teams from all sorts of sports and entertainment have already tossed their hats into the ring.
James was once an all-state wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, but a return to the gridiron seems optimistic at best. Nobody sent the NFL that memo.
run it back in the green and white, @kingjames ? pic.twitter.com/JXBxcsNRwp
— New York Jets (@nyjets) June 30, 2026
“Heard he’s a free agent,” the Green Bay Packers’ social team wrote.
“Never say never,” wrote the Buffalo Bills.
In case James ever wants to pursue the college degree he never received, there’s also a standing offer from the Kent State Golden Flashes, who had a quick question about his eligibility. His NIL check would probably fund a small country or, like, meaningful scholarships. That’s no fun, though.
Sadly for them all, James has previously addressed a possible football run, saying he considered an offer to jump to the NFL in 2011, but decided against it.
That said, at 6-foot-9, James would be the tallest receiver in NFL history, coming in an inch above Hall-of-Famer Harold Carmichael, who stood at 6-foot-8.
The average NFL receiver height is 6-foot-1, so someone like Davante Adams could strap a personal pizza from Papa John’s or a pair of toilet paper rolls on top of his helmet and just barely offer the same-sized target as James. That’s not even accounting for the NBA legend’s wingspan.
.@KingJames… heard you’re on the market 👀 pic.twitter.com/CZ26qAqlA4
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) June 30, 2026
Then again, why would James chase a foregone actual opportunity when he could welcome yet another Michael Jordan comparison by hitting the baseball diamond?
The Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, declared victory on that front Tuesday.
“’Smiling through it all: Can’t believe this is my life.’ — the exact words from King LeBron James himself after deciding the Comets would be his next home,” the team said on X with its own digitally altered picture of a uniformed James.
Despite the fabricated victory lap, the Comets are facing stiff competition from several other clubs.
Ever heard of the Double-A Somerset Patriots? Neither had James, until now. The Patriots said James has “agreed to play for the Semiquincentennials on America’s 250th birthday.” That’s this weekend, so the team is low on time if it plans to announce any commemorative bobbleheads. Get moving, folks.
Then there’s the San Diego Padres’ Lake Elsinore Storm affiliate. The Storm extended a spot to James, too, welcoming him to try topping Jordan’s career batting average of .202.
LeBron James intends to start his MiLB career with the San Diego Padres affiliate “Lake Elsinore Storm”
The 41 year old is going 1 hour south to see if he can surpass Michael Jordan’s career .202 batting average #DreamExtreme pic.twitter.com/eOuMNp2sLY
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 30, 2026
Let’s get down to the practicals, though. You want to like where you live. In that spirit, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz simply tagged James in a tweet alongside a screenshot of a Minnesota Star-Tribune headline about a list of the top states for quality of life.
That opens the door to all sorts of avenues to teams like the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Wild and, maybe least likely, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tons of people have totally non-controversial opinions on that state, so it’s a tough offer to turn down.
.@KingJames pic.twitter.com/HNSqY57bAZ
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 30, 2026
Among the most optimistic suitors, however, is an entity that literally defines what it means to be an institution.
Merriam-Webster seemingly needs help with its footnotes and decided a guy with a pair of size 15s could be the missing piece. The dictionary publisher invited James to join its Citation Archives staff with a very enticing picture of some old file cabinets. Who could pass up that recruiting push?
LeBron James, would you like to come work in the Merriam-Webster Citation Archives? pic.twitter.com/JGJfkUeUlU
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) June 30, 2026
Might James derail his life as a historically great basketball player to become a middling lexicologist? Only time will tell.