LeBron James is probably among the most famous athletes in the world, and the NBA icon has been a star for 20 years now. James was just destined for huge stardom from a young age, and he has surely fulfilled that in the time since.
The NBA icon was still in high school when he was on Sports Illustrated’s cover. He was referred to as “The Chosen One‘” which led him to be the No.1 pick in the NBA draft in 2003. This led the 18-year-old to a quick WWE appearance.
LeBron James’ appearance came in the crowd of Monday night raw, on November 3, 2003, which was in Cleveland, Ohio. LeBron was quite young when he made his appearance on Raw, as he was sitting in the front row, and enjoying the show.
WWE usually points out celebrity appearances on their shows, as they are mostly in the front row. LeBron was the hottest NBA rookie at that time and WWE did well to make a note of his presence in the arena and showed him on the screen.
As announcers Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler spoke about James being in the arena, the cameras turned toward the youngster. James was shown taking pictures of WWE superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with his flip phone. After all the success, James has achieved, the moment can be referred to as, “One GOAT capturing another GOAT.“
LeBron James has been in the NBA for so long that he recorded prime Stone Cold Steve Austin with a FLIP PHONE 😂 pic.twitter.com/PhGQosQDys
— Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) January 11, 2023
LeBron’s Raw appearance with a flip phone made him familiar with the WWE universe. The happiness of watching WWE superstars closely was clearly visible on LeBron’s face. After the show, he even went backstage to click pictures with several WWE superstars.
Is LeBron James a WWE fan?
Basketball is obviously the sport LeBron James loves the most, but his love for professional wrestling is also well-known. The NBA Icon has shown his affection towards professional wrestling, particularly WWE, at various times. He has even made appearances at WWE events,
LeBron has also shown his support for the company by wearing WWE merchandise multiple times. Once on legend Steve Austin’s birthday, he wore a ‘LeBron 3:16’ shirt to pay tribute to Steve. The shirt had a skull print on the back and #23 on it, which shows how much he loves WWE.
In 2016, during a quick interview with TMZ Sports, WWE legend Ric Flair also admits that LeBron James is a fan. Ric says, “LeBron James, the first time I saw him, in the last couple of years, the first thing he said to me want he wanted to know if I had my Rolex on. He said [wrestling] kept him out of trouble in high school.” he admitted.
Looking at all these events involving LeBron, it’s pretty safe to say that LeBron James is a WWE fan. Although LeBron hasn’t ever shown interest in an in-ring appearance, it won’t come as a surprise if he does. If he ever makes an in-ring WWE appearance or even a backstage segment, he would probably receive great support.
