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Ryan Day jokingly offers scholarship, NIL deal to LeBron James

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels01/29/25ChandlerVessels
lebron james
Adam Cairns-Imagn Images

LeBron James never went to college, and just in case he feels like he’s missing out, Ryan Day has got him covered. The Ohio State football coach posted on X Tuesday evening, where he extended a scholarship offer to the NBA star.

The tweet came in reponse to James quoting an interview that Day had with late-night host Jimmy Fallon. Fallon brought up a two-year-old tweet from James where he questioned whether he had college eligibility left to play a sport besides basketball.

Day joked then that despite James’ status, he would be treated like any other incoming freshman arriving in Columbus and would have to earn his spot. James replied that he didn’t mind that, prompting the response below from Day.

“Just to be clear, we have a scholarship and great NIL deal for you though,” Day wrote.

Of course, James grew up in Akron, Ohio, and it is well known that he is a fan of the Buckeyes. He was even in attendance when Ohio State defeated Notre Dame to win the national championship this season.

James is a four-time NBA champion himself who went straight from St. Vincent St. Mary High School to the pros. It’s entirely possible for him to go play college football if he wants once he retires. In fact, J.R. Smith, who is a former teammate of James in the NBA, currently plays college golf at North Carolina AT&T.

That said, just because it can technically happen doesn’t mean it is likely. James turned 40 in December and one would think he might have a tough time transitioning to a new sport at that age.

It’s still fun to think about, though, and many have wondered in the past how James would have fared if he chose football over basketball. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward certainly has the size for it and did play football for two seasons during his high school career.

It’s also still unclear when James plans to retire from the NBA. He is in his 22nd season in the league and still operating at a high level, averaging 23.6 points, 9.0 assists and 7.6 rebounds.

As long as he’s still putting up those kind of numbers, there’s no reason for him to call it quits. That only makes the idea of him in a Buckeyes jersey even more far-fetched, though it’s certainly a fun hypothetical to consider.