Cleveland fans might not want to see LeBron James in their town, but the biggest star in the NBA cracked a little smile and played along when asked if he'd care to switch sports and catch some passes from the NFL's biggest rookie star, Johnny Manziel.
"Yeah, that's possible. Waiting for the ruling," James said Saturday, per The Associated Press, in jest about Manziel, one of James' close friends. "That could be one of the problems and we'll see what happens with that."
James, of course, hasn't been a favorite son of Ohio since leaving the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat four years ago. The town hasn't had a sports figure with such transcendent stardom since, but Manziel could fill the void -- if he develops into a successful starting quarterback in the NFL. James was hoping for Manziel to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, his favorite team, with the No. 16 overall pick. But when that didn't happen, he knew exactly what to expect.
"We were watching the draft after our (NBA playoff) game and after I seen he didn't go to Dallas, I figured he would go to Cleveland at 22," James said. "I mean, it's exciting. I mean, he's going to get an opportunity to compete for the starting job, so it's exciting for us, for our family, for him and his family."
What would really be exciting is if James, perhaps at the end of his NBA career, actually tried to give it a go on the gridiron with Manziel. We're thinking tight end.
Preposterous? So is this.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.