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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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LeBron James inspiring NFL stars like Josh Allen—Is this proof of his unmatched influence in sports?

The Jacksonville Jaguars might have hoped that their strong defense would be enough to halt the Buffalo Bills Juggernaut. That hope went in vain, as the Jags were crushed 47-10 before the unstoppable might of ace quarterback Josh Allen. At half time, he’d led the Bills to an astonishing 34-3, with 4 touchdown passes. The man was poetry on the football field. Their victory on Monday night put the Bills on a 3-win streak (and the Jags on a 3-loss streak) and has them looking forward to a very successful season, as real contenders.

And with performances like that, it’s no wonder he’s got the fans raving. A particularly prominent one among them is, of course, LeBron James, whose tweet supporting Allen went viral during the game. And it’s not the first time he’s stood up for him either. At a time when Josh Allen was being labeled the most overrated quarterback in the league, he dismissed those opinions, saying on an Instagram post, “I GUARANTEE he’s at the top of the scouting report before playing Buffalo offensively! So who cares.” The love goes both ways, with Josh Allen grinning when asked about LeBron’s tweet. “I’ve been wearing LeBron’s cleats, the Fruity Pebbles at practice for that reason. I’m a big fan of his, and coming from him, one of the greatest, if not the greatest NBA player of all time, I think that’s pretty cool.

 

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The support from LeBron likely comes from a place of empathy too. At one point, in 2012, the Bleacher Report called “King James” the 4th most overrated NBA player in history. Not very kind words at all. Not to mention similar insults from fellow NBA players. Stars have to look out for each other, and it seems LeBron and Josh Allen have a healthy mutual respect. Hey, some might say it borders on mutual admiration.

If you’re a born athlete, chances are you enjoy following multiple sports, maybe even playing them too. It can get annoying to have athletes offer up opinions on sports outside their specialties. But they can often have interesting takes you might not have thought of. Or they could be bullheaded and serve up a stinker of a take, but you’ve got to take the good with the bad. Generally, it’s just fun ribbing between professionals in similar fields. Like when Josh Allen was asked a fun question earlier this year.

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Are NFL players good enough to play in the NBA?

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LeBron James inspiring NFL stars like Josh Allen—Is this proof of his unmatched influence in sports?

Have an interesting take?

In May of this year, Austin Rivers, who last played shooting guard for the Minessota Timberwolves, stoked a controversy. He went on record, saying, “I can take 30 players right now from the NBA and throw them in the NFL. You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA.” This obviously ruffled a few feathers. Josh Allen responded in good humour, “I think I can give a few good minutes, a 3 and D guy (3-pointers and defense),” he said. “I can give you a good 6-7 minutes off the bench. I think so,” was how he concluded.

Is there precedent? Well, maybe not in the NBA, but former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess has moved on to basketball. He now plays for the Caribbean Storm Llaneros in the Professional Colombia Basketball League. But it is true that the NFL (in particular the Dallas Cowboys) has scouted players from college basketball teams before. Maybe basketball players are just more versatile? Who could forget when Michael Jordan famously hung up his basketball shoes and took up the baseball cleats in the mid 90s. Though he never made it to the major leagues and retired just two years after, he did make the switch. It would certainly be fun to see Josh Allen give basketball a go, maybe in an exhibition match? The best of the NFL against the Harlem Globetrotters would make for a fun watch, though not strictly NBA.

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If you’d like to keep up with the latest new names in the NFL this season, be sure to check out our Think Tank Exclusive, featuring Doug Sanders.

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