{"id":2020508,"date":"2026-07-01T02:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2020508"},"modified":"2026-07-01T02:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:24:07","slug":"lebron-james-is-hitting-the-job-market-whos-lined-up-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2020508","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James is hitting the job market. Who\u2019s lined up so far?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>LeBron James: basketball icon, entrepreneur and Los Angeles \u2026 Dodgers minor leaguer? Probably not, but it\u2019s worth a shot!<\/p>\n<p>Following Tuesday\u2019s news that James told the Los Angeles Lakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7302889\/2026\/06\/30\/lebron-james-returns-leaving-lakers-nba\/\">he intends to leave the Lakeshow after eight seasons<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">run it back in the green and white, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@kingjames<\/a> ? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JXBxcsNRwp\">pic.twitter.com\/JXBxcsNRwp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Jets (@nyjets) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nyjets\/status\/2072091714735481058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cHeard he\u2019s a free agent,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/packers\/status\/2072025054087377015?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers\u2019 social team wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever say never,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BuffaloBills\/status\/2072059776574398558\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">wrote the Buffalo Bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In case James ever wants to pursue the college degree he never received, there\u2019s also a standing offer from the Kent State Golden Flashes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaOSaHFG4ty\/?igsh=bHk2eHE0bjU5ZnY2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">who had a quick question about his eligibility<\/a>. His NIL check would probably fund a small country or, like, meaningful scholarships. That\u2019s no fun, though.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The average NFL receiver height is 6-foot-1, so someone like Davante Adams could strap a personal pizza from Papa John\u2019s or a pair of toilet paper rolls on top of his helmet and just barely offer the same-sized target as James. That\u2019s not even accounting for the NBA legend\u2019s wingspan.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KingJames<\/a>\u2026 heard you\u2019re on the market \ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CZ26qAqlA4\">pic.twitter.com\/CZ26qAqlA4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HoustonTexans\/status\/2072075883335295301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Then again, why would James chase a foregone actual opportunity when he could welcome yet another Michael Jordan comparison by hitting the baseball diamond?<\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p>The Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, declared victory on that front Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019Smiling through it all: Can\u2019t believe this is my life.\u2019 \u2014 the exact words from King LeBron James himself after deciding the Comets would be his next home,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OKC_comets\/status\/2072080544532255056\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">the team said on X<\/a> with its own digitally altered picture of a uniformed James.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite the fabricated victory lap, the Comets are facing stiff competition from several other clubs.<\/p>\n<p>Ever heard of the Double-A Somerset Patriots? Neither had James, until now. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SOMPatriots\/status\/2072047474777153613\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">The Patriots said<\/a> James has \u201cagreed to play for the Semiquincentennials on America\u2019s 250th birthday.\u201d That\u2019s this weekend, so the team is low on time if it plans to announce any commemorative bobbleheads. Get moving, folks.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the San Diego Padres\u2019 Lake Elsinore Storm affiliate. The Storm extended a spot to James, too, welcoming him to try topping Jordan\u2019s career batting average of .202.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LeBron James intends to start his MiLB career with the San Diego Padres affiliate \u201cLake Elsinore Storm\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 41 year old is going 1 hour south to see if he can surpass Michael Jordan\u2019s career .202 batting average <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/DreamExtreme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DreamExtreme<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eOuMNp2sLY\">pic.twitter.com\/eOuMNp2sLY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Storm_Baseball\/status\/2072021095692284223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Let\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s a tough offer to turn down.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KingJames<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wBVzTRM8IW\">https:\/\/t.co\/wBVzTRM8IW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HNSqY57bAZ\">pic.twitter.com\/HNSqY57bAZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovTimWalz\/status\/2072098077339713544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Among the most optimistic suitors, however, is an entity that literally defines what it means to be an institution.<\/p>\n<p>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?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LeBron James, would you like to come work in the Merriam-Webster Citation Archives? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JGJfkUeUlU\">pic.twitter.com\/JGJfkUeUlU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MerriamWebster\/status\/2071991509566492957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Might James derail his life as a historically great basketball player to become a middling lexicologist? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeBron James: basketball icon, entrepreneur and Los Angeles \u2026 Dodgers minor leaguer? Probably not, but it\u2019s worth a shot! Following Tuesday\u2019s 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2020508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2020508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020508\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2020508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2020508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2020508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}