CNN
—

LeBron James has achieved almost everything that can be achieved in the NBA. But for a brief moment it could have been a completely different story.

James is a well-known, passionate NFL fan — he’s been spotted at his hometown Cleveland Browns games over the years — but during the 2011 NBA lockout, he “absolutely” considered swapping the hardwood for the gridiron.

“I didn’t know when we were going to get the deal done with the owners and get our league back on track,” James said on Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, hosted by Super Bowl-winning brothers Jason and Travis Kelce. “So I actually thought about it a little bit at the time.

“I was still young enough to go out there with you. That’s the only time I seriously thought about it. I seriously dreamed about this shit the whole time. And in my dream the ball is never kicked off. It’s me warming up, it’s me coming out, running my routes and right when the game starts I fucking wake up or something. This shows me I shouldn’t be out there.”

James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but before being drafted into the NBA in 2003, he was a star at the high school level in both football and basketball.

He led St. Vincent-St. Mary High School won three basketball state championships while playing wide receiver for the school, being named First Team All-State his sophomore year.

James was even the subject of offers from some of college football’s biggest names, recalling that then-Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel tried to recruit him as a dual-sport athlete before James was taken in the NBA draft . According to ESPN, he was also courted by Urban Meyer.

“I walked into the school (St. Vincent-St. Mary High), the coach, Jim Meyer, great guy, probably in 1998 or 1999, and he said, ‘Hey, come here for a second.’ I want to show you that. What do you think of this kid?’” Urban Meyer said, according to ESPN. “I started watching the video and thought, ‘Oh my God.’ He was about 1.80 meters tall, obviously very tall at the time.

“He asked me what I thought about it and I said, ‘I want to offer it to him right away. Who is he?’” he continued, hoping to recruit James to Notre Dame, where Meyer was the wide receivers coach at the time.

James eventually decided on a career that focused more on baskets than goal lines, but that thought was apparently always on his mind.

When asked who he thinks he could have compared himself to had he chosen the NFL, James highlighted a few legends.

“Probably a mix of (four-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski) and Randy Moss, but he’s a lot smaller than me,” the 40-year-old explained. “He runs a lot faster than me, but he’s a lot smaller than me, but like Megatron (three-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson), we have the same stature, body type-wise. (Six-time first-team All-Pro tight end) Tony Gonzalez, with him and his size, he also played basketball, I loved his celebration where he dunked on the goalposts.”

James’ football skills in high school led many to believe he could have a successful career in the NFL if he had chosen that path.

And when asked if it would be harder to go from the NBA to the NFL or vice versa, James said he would think about it.

“I will say that I think it’s easier for a basketball player to try out for the NFL than it is for an NFL player to try to get into the NBA,” he said. “And I know we have some great athletes. … (If) an NBA guy decides to play in the NFL, there will be a transition period. For me it would have been like getting used to being hit again.

“I remember in high school, playing basketball in the summer, playing AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) ball, and then having to get used to getting hit again in the fall. The first few practices, when you put on the shoulder pads and the helmets, the most important thing is to get hit again.

“Football is moving to basketball, which is about more coordination, running and jumping, more consistent,” he added, also saying he believes current NBA players Russell Westbrook or Anthony Edwards would have the most success if they were in would change the NFL.