"I don’t know if he’s a tough guy in the NFL" - Former football star questions LeBron James' toughness

Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter questioned LA Lakers star LeBron James’ toughness to play in the NFL. The former NFL wide receiver shared his thoughts on James' prospects of playing professional football on “The Dan Patrick Show.”

During a recent episode, Patrick asked Carter about the chances that LeBron James would have had to become an all-time great NFL player had he played football instead of basketball.

"Could he have been (Randy) Moss, could he have been (Terrell) Owens, could he have been Calvin Johnson?" Patrick asked Carter (h/t Fox News).

In response, Carter thought that LeBron James wasn’t tough enough to play with the best football players in the world.

“LeBron’s a tough guy in the NBA,” Carter replied. “I don’t know if he’s a tough guy in the NFL.”

LeBron James is listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. The combination of his size, strength and speed has helped him dominate the NBA for almost two decades.

Because of his unique traits, NFL teams had reportedly asked him to play for them and James hasn’t shied away from the conversation either.

We got you, @KingJames! 🤝👑 #BackstageLakers https://t.co/Lkrmbh9XAL pic.twitter.com/0JEAndS8MF

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) August 25, 2021

Questionable take on LeBron James and NBA players

LeBron James attends an NFC Divisional Round playoff game

Cris Carter’s answer to Dan Patrick is quite telling of his thoughts on the NBA. Reading between the lines, it appears that he may not have just questioned the toughness of LeBron James, but also many players in the NBA.

"If I need 7 minutes of brilliant basketball, I'd still take @KingJames... And I would take @TomBrady for one drive." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/SeqMqgEqFY

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 20, 2021

Though he probably didn’t intend to do it, Carter’s take on the league as a whole seems to reflect what he thinks of the temperaments of athletes outside of the NFL and he explained his opinion in his follow-up statement.

“If it was that easy, Usain Bolt would be playing somewhere. All of a sudden, Dan, guys come up out the surface and they hit you, and they say things to you. And most track athletes, they don’t have that type of temperament. And I would say NBA toughness is a different type of toughness and grit than what you need to play in the NFL,” Carter said.

If Carter believes LeBron James is a “tough guy” in the NBA, but he doesn’t have what it takes to be “tough” in the NFL, it probably means he thinks that most basketball players won’t cut it in the premier football league in the world.

Many fans and the media might disagree with Carter’s opinion because of how LeBron James has been viewed by many as someone who could have played in the NFL if he had chosen to do so. Still, Carter’s viewpoint is extremely valuable as someone who not only played in the NFL, but also someone who was among the best to play the game.

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