It's always a marketing dilemma for NFL stars that they don't make as much off the court as their NBA peers because they were helmets.
LeBron James might be a perfect case study, both as a juggernaut brand and as a casual sports fan.
Many of the Philadelphia Eagles stars were sitting courtside to watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Philadelphia 76ers, in which the Sixers won 118-104 without Joel Embiid. Social media skewered him while Lakers head coach, and former Sixer, JJ Redick defended him.
Before the game, James came over to show the Super Bowl-bound players some love. Well specifically, wide receivers Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown. The immortal 40-year-old also shouts out "Big Game Slay," cornerback Darius Slay.
Hilariously, he completely ignores other Eagles stars standing right there, like Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship.
In LeBron's defense, both Blankenship and DeJean look like they could still be in high school. So he probably thought they were just some rich kids from the Main Line. (That's a Philly reference for the swanky part of town.)
Funny enough, DeJean, already a huge fan favorite in his rookie season, will turn 22 on Super Bowl Sunday, along with Philadelphia's newly adopted favorite son, Saquon Barkley, who will turn 28.
Also, the 6-foot-9 LeBron made them all look tiny, including the 6-foot-1 A.J. Brown, who looks huge when you're watching him play every week.
For Philly fans, they're hoping that a Super Bowl victory against the hated Kansas City Chiefs will make DeJean and Blankenship household names.
Maybe then they'll get a dap from LeBron.
UPDATE: There was also a connection between little used Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell and LeBron, who attended James' alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and played for the King's favorite college football team, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The duo hung out after the game and spent some more time with Brown, Slay, and Slay's wife Jennifer... DeJean and Blankenship were nowhere to be found.
