The 6-foot-9 LeBron James is literally one of the greatest basketball figures in history, but he's also considering trying his hand at another sport.
The 39-year-old James will compete in the Olympics with Team USA in Paris this summer, aiming for his third gold medal. He was part of the gold medal-winning teams in 2008 and 2012, but said if he could compete in another sport at the Olympics he knows exactly what it would be.
“I'd love to do something like a four-man relay or track and field,” he told Craig Melvin in an exclusive interview with TODAY.
The Los Angeles Lakers star said he's a “teammate” and even knows what he'd do if this were to happen.
“Yeah, of course I want to be the anchor and I want to finish it the right way,” he said.
As a four-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, James has done just about everything there is to do at the highest level of the sport, so why would he feel the need to return to the Olympics?
“I think it's just timing,” he said. “Timing is everything. And I think at this point in my career, I still have a lot to give. And Team USA has given me so much, so I feel like this is an opportunity for me to give back.”
Whatever happens in Paris, James, who this summer will become the oldest Olympian in U.S. men's basketball history, will likely remain synonymous with the sport even after he retires from the sport. But he says he wants to be known for more than that.
“I don't want it to just be about basketball. For me, I want a lot of my accomplishments to be talked about is what I do in the community and how I inspire people all over the world,” he said.
James knows how important basketball is to his life, but he wants to be seen as more than that.
“Basketball has definitely given me the opportunity to see the world and do things that I never would have imagined or been able to do without it. But if my legacy is just about the game of basketball, then I have failed in my mission. So, we'll see,” he said.
The Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028. James recently signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the Lakers, but don't expect him to be in the City of Angels for the next Olympics.
“No, I'm not going there,” he said.
“When the Olympics come to Los Angeles, I'm moving out of town,” he said, laughing, before adding, “OK, I'll live there for a year. I won't be in LA in '28. I'm moving out.”
