Miami Heat star LeBron James is already the greatest basketball player in the world. Could he play football too? Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann thinks so, ESPN reports.
Theismann, who won the 1983 Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins, shared his belief on Saturday with Fox Sports Florida and again during an interview on Tuesday with "NFL AM."
"I would love to work him out and also serve as his agent. I'll go wherever he wants this summer. He could play another four years in the NBA before seriously trying the NFL," Theismann told Fox Sports. "There are not a lot of 38- or 39-year-old basketball players, but there are 38- and 39-year-old quarterbacks, so there's always time for him."
He added on Tuesday to "NFL AM" that he was kidding about becoming James' agent, but affirmed his belief that the reigning NBA MVP could prosper under center.
"Who wouldn't want to coach LeBron James? He's the most physical specimen we have in professional sports," Theismann said. "He could do, I think, anything he wanted."
Theismann added that the biggest thing James would need to work on to become a quarterback is his footwork, the "most important element" to throwing the football accurately. He also wondered if James' hands were too large to handle the football.
While footwork can be learned and improved upon, Theismann told "NFL AM" that James already has the number one characteristic needed to succeed at quarterback.
"He's as mentally as tough a guy you're going to find," he said, "which I think is the No. 1 prerequisite to play the position."
Reporters asked James about playing quarterback after the Heat's Game 1 victory over the Indiana Pacers last week. James, who played receiver for two seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, felt confident he could.
"I have the ability," James said. "I can see and read plays. I study a lot, so I know defenses and things of that nature. So I would have been pretty good if I had decided to go for it."
