LeBron James Would Rather Broadcast Football Than Basketball — C.J. Stroud Is the NFL Player He’d Be Excited To Call

LeBron James is going to be tired of talking about basketball after he retires from the NBA. He says he'd prefer to talk more about football after that.

The 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star, now the oldest player in the NBA, told the Houston Chronicle that if he makes the transition to the broadcast booth after retirement, he hopes its for football and not basketball.

“The question was would you be a basketball (broadcaster) and I said, ‘I prefer football. I’d rather talk football than basketball. I just love the nuances of the game of football. I think it’s a lot more tactical," James said. “You got 11 guys you got to really rely on every play. Sometimes the receivers can take maybe a play off from time to time. Just think it’s a game that in between the game is not talked about enough because of how strong and physical the game is, I think it’s pretty cool.”

James, who has been in the NBA since 2003, says that fatigue of talking about the game over the last 21 years plays into his desire to broadcast football over basketball.

“I love basketball, too,” James told the Houston Chronicle. “I could talk basketball all day, but that’s what I’ve been doing for so long. Just a change of pace, that’s all.”

One player that James would be most excited to talk about if he were to broadcast football is Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

James was seen going up to Stroud and giving him a hug at Crypto.com Arena before the Lakers' game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

After Stroud broke the rookie passing record for touchdowns and yards in a single game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday, James shouted the young Texans star out on X (formerly Twitter).

James, an Akron, Ohio native, has a particular appreciation for Stroud because of the rookie quarterback's previous stardom at Ohio State. Stroud starred for the Buckeyes over the last two seasons, and gave James, a known Ohio State football fan, a lot to cheer for on Saturdays.

“I watch all former Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s impressive. He’s definitely offensive rookie of the year, as it stands right now. Very impressive, very poised and a franchise quarterback," James told The Houston Chronicle.

James even took his younger son, Bryce James, to an Ohio State football game against Maryland on Oct. 17. The Buckeyes won 37-17 and Bryce got an official offer from the university to play basketball there later that same day.