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Those few words of LeBron revealed a life after being a basketball player, and the world is abuzz with this small insight. This basketball legend gave a tiny hint: acting is something he might have in mind after his final curtain call on his basketball career. “If the scripts start to roll in and there’s an opportunity for me to do some acting and I have the time — obviously, post-career — I don’t mind looking at it,” said LeBron to reporters. The statement conveyed the attitude that goes with the picture, in which he was rather relaxed yet thoughtful about the prospect.
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For LeBron, this ain’t his first camera rumble. He starred in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Trainwreck (2015) with Amy Schumer, and it was met with an overall positive reception. But the idea of going full drama after basketball? Well, the internet is truly split on that.
Some of the fans buckled up to entertain this thought. One user proposed him to act Michael Jordan in a biopic, which considering their rivalry, would be the ultimate plot twist. Another user wrote his Trainwreck performance was legit, he has some acting chops beyond dunking on people, and another one chimed in with: Okay, but y’all are sleeping on Trainwreck, defending his short and sweet stint there.
The other side just couldn’t move on from Space Jam 2, which, yeah, really didn’t stand any Oscars. “Space Jam happened and it was atrocious,” flatly stated one user. Another very funny comment-referring to LeBron as an actor, just on the courts-included, “He’s been flopping for quite awhile,” regarding his famous selling of foul calls.
The best ones? They predicted what his acting was to be like. Some imagined him as an action star; others thought he would embrace the drama lead position with his “flop” compilations. One user joked that streaming services would be “foaming at the mouth” to get their hands on him. But most cruel? “From flopping on the court to flopping at the box office.” Ouch.
Then there were the diehards. One declared, “My goat can pursue any venture and I’ll be there first in line,” an act of complete devotion. Though one fan optimistically said, “Man that would be cool as hell!” yet admitted they’d mostly just see him for cameos instead of lead roles.
The big question is: What kind of roles would LeBron be interested in? Comedy? Drama? Action? Given his big personality, he probably could pull off just about anything if the material is there. But Hollywood is not really known for dishing out great opportunities to athletes-turned-actors unless it is Dwayne Johnson. And it didn’t really happen overnight for The Rock to shed the label “just a wrestler.”
But one thing is for sure: whether acting in some Oscar-worthy picture or in straight-to-streaming flops, people are gonna watch. Weirdly or truly, LeBron knows how to stay on. And if his acting career is as polarizing as his basketball career, then you can imagine what kind of a fun ride it’ll be.
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He still has a few more seasons’ worth of friendship with the basketball world. But if it ever comes to that… don’t be shocked seeing him in a Netflix original or a major blockbuster. Just maybe… steer clear of Space Jam for a while.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
