There’s been a lot of discussion lately between pros of different sports claiming that they could excel in another player’s sport. Paul Pierce recently suffered the wrath of Track Twitter when he said LeBron James could have qualified for the Olympics in track.
Dallas Cowboys defensive star Micah Parsons said he could hit .200 at the major league level with no experience. Former NBA player Austin Rivers said it would be easier for a basketball player to play football than vice versa.
Paul Pierce Says Miami Heat LeBron Could Qualify For 2012 Olympics
When it comes to LeBron James, who was also a standout football player in high school and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in the game, combining football size, track speed and a physique that is built to excel in any sport, he’s always getting credited with being able to excel at another pro sport if he so chooses.
The track & field world has made it clear, that they don’t want their game diminished by LeBron’s legion of fans and player stans and let it be known on social media, responding to an X post from Rori Dunk.
Dunk shared claims made by former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce claiming that King James could be a dominant Olympic track and field athlete if he so chose.
“@PaulPierce34 claims that 27-year-old LeBron could have been an Olympic sprinter,” reports the post as it went on to quote Pierce on his thoughts about LeBron being able to make the national team. “If he’s talking about Miami LeBron, 100%. I’ve seen this up and close in person,” the post elaborates on Paul’s claims.
There have been some lightning-fast Olympians who were tearing up the scene during the time that LeBron was with Miami and would have been 28 years old. That 2012 USA Olympic team was stacked.
I don’t know LeBron’s 60 or 100-meter dash time, but the possibility of him qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Track & Field team seems like a daunting task.
Among others, five-time Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin and three-time world champion Tyson Gay were both competing for the USA at the London Olympics, and they were two of the fastest men to ever do it at the time.
Then there’s the non-American sprinters James would have to face regularly throughout the season and at the Olympics.
Could Bron Hang With Track Legend Usain Bolt?
During that era one Usain Bolt, recently voted as the ninth best athlete of the 2000s on ESPN’s Top 100 List, was running the 100m in 9.63 seconds to win gold.
Track is a tough sport that takes guts and the ability to suppress pain and overcome injuries while also winning the mental and physical battle with your opponent. You also have less time to make mistakes and correct them
Naturally, the track loyalists went in on the notion that LeBron can step into their arena just because.
“Sick of these punks disrespecting our sport,” said one X user, who obviously feels as if track and field is disrespected by athletes in the major sports.
Football players have challenged sprinters before and some have come close to winning because they were previously track stars themselves.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill is known to be the fastest man in the NFL, with ridiculous breakaway speed that allows him to get huge chunks of yardage with one burst.
In fact, Hill won a 60-meter race as recently as March of 2023 at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships, clocking in at 6.70 seconds to win his race in the age 25-29 division. According to USA Today, it was Hill’s first race since he ran a 6.64 in the 60m in 2014.
He also got smoked by a high school kid at his own camp. That was after he challenged NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf and Bolt to a race.
Tyreek Hill Was A Track Star, LeBron James Was Not
Hill was an accomplished track star in high school growing up in Douglas, Georgia, before turning his pursuits to the football field.
Legit track stars such as Hill, who understands the rigors, dedication, science and athletic excellence involved with sprinting probably get more of a pass.
LeBron fans don’t seem to share a similar optimism.
Track Twitter Attacks Paul Pierce
Fans went in on Pierce for minimizing their sport by boosting James with another hypothetical situation and a narrative that can’t be proved at this point. LeBron is almost 40 and he’s not racing anyone, especially not an elite printer.
Track stars spend hundreds of hours trying to elevate their game, improve just 0.10 seconds of a score and working on technique. Fans seemed offended that Pierce didn’t have a more advanced comprehension concerning the prerequisites of the sport.
Last year, Noah Lyles faced heat from NBA fans when he went on a rant and attacked the NBA for calling their winners World Champions.
“World Champions of what?” Lyles quipped. That started an all-out social media war, with basketball’s titans of the NBA delivering shots back at Lyles for his comments
So that was really the first sign that track and field athletes are taking it personally that they don’t get the same year-round attention and praise that NBA players do. Also, just wanting people to know that there’s a huge world outside of the United States with athletes who are just as talented and remarkable.
When Lyles made his comments, of course the titans of the NBA clapped back at him, led by Kevin Durant, who stuck to his playbook and dismissed the 100m world champ’s claims as jealousy.
One fan on X dragged Lyles into this recent debate on whether or not LeBron could have been an elite sprinter, saying, “Somebody get @LylesNoah in the chat bc these basketball fans are getting outta control.” Another fan went a step further to claim that LeBron couldn’t even match the women’s top scores in the 100m dash as he wrote, “won’t even see sub 11.5.”
Yeah, I can’t lie, I’d have to go with Flo Jo and Sha ’Carri in a 100m or 200m race against the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Pierce can dream on.
