LeBron James is, by the most conservative of estimates, a top-five player in NBA history, if not top two. Many have speculated that James, had he focused his time and energy on football instead of basketball, would have been equally successful in that realm, achieving All-State recognition as a high-school sophomore before abandoning that pursuit in favor of his true passion. Given his relentless commitment to maintaining his elite fitness level, his natural athleticism and dogged determination as one of the fiercest competitors to ever step on an NBA hardwood, it’s easy to envision James dominating any sport he sets his mind to, except maybe one.
The Lakers were in Vegas for an exhibition game this week, allowing LeBron and his teammates to explore the city’s nightlife, which apparently led them to Top Golf. While it may be unfair, bordering on irresponsible, to make any sweeping generalizations about James’ skill level based on one swing, it seems the Lakers vet could use a lesson or, at the very least, a longer club.
While James’ technique isn’t quite “Barkley” bad (though Chuck’s swing has improved in recent years), the future Hall-of-Famer has a long way to go before anyone would consider him “course-ready.” If James wants to someday join his buddies Steph Curry and J.R. Smith (now a Division I golfer at North Carolina A&T State University) on the links, getting the right equipment would be an excellent start. Catering to a clientele of mostly non-giants, we’ll cut Top Golf some slack for not having anything in James’ size, though if LeBron is serious about bringing an NBA team to Vegas, it might behoove them to invest in longer clubs.
The good news is that James will have plenty of time to hone his game once he inevitably retires. Entering his 20th NBA season, that day can’t be far off. Even if we never see LBJ in any Pro-Ams (Lake Tahoe is calling his name), he’s still a heck of a lot better than Jalen Rose, who clearly hasn’t invested much time in the sport.
Yikes.
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