LeBron James is a gregarious guy. Maybe you could already tell by the baroque handshake routines, the impromptu dance contests with his teammates, or just the way he always seems to have everyone around him eating out of the palm of his hand.
He’s leveraged that affable personality throughout the years to land all sorts of high-profile endorsement deals, as well as a memorable supporting role in the 2015 Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck. LeBron stole just about every scene he was in, and it wasn’t a bit surprising to those who’ve known him since he was a kid.
Just ask his old high school coach, via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:
“He’s always been fun,” says Dru Joyce II, who coached James at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. “He’s always been a jokester. He’s always been that guy. He’s enjoying the game. It’s supposed to be fun. And he understands he can entertain a little bit and make this stuff good. That’s good to see, that he can still have fun with it.”
He always has. As a high school senior, James converted a breakaway, between-the-legs dunk and promptly took a joyful lap around the court, igniting a packed house at the University of Akron gym.
“He’s always been an entertainer,” Joyce says. “I used to think, ‘Maybe you’ll be a standup comedian if basketball doesn’t work.’”
First, the whole “if basketball doesn’t work” comment is pretty rich coming from his high school coach, who was the custodian of a hoops career that was undoubtedly headed for the stratosphere. But that’s neither here nor there. LeBron would’ve been great at a lot of things. That’s just how immensely talented he is.
We already know he can be funny onscreen alongside other veteran comedians, but getting up there and doing a stand-up set alone onstage is a whole different animal. Still, that doesn’t mean we and a lot of other folks wouldn’t want to see him try. Maybe once he retires we’ll get to see him take a stab at
