Former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry explains why LeBron James made him star-struck in 2014
LeBron James has always been a noted football fan, and that extends to college football as well.
Because James grew up in Akron, Ohio, he became a fan of the Ohio State Bulldogs, one of the prominent NCAA football teams in the nation.
In 2014, Ohio State’s team went on a major run and defeated other dominant teams as underdogs in Alabama and Oregon.
Then-head coach Urban Meyer had James come to a home game and deliver a speech to the team, which had linebacker Joshua Perry star-struck, as he explained in an episode of the “Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares” podcast:
“I don’t get star-struck over meeting famous people anymore because, not trying to flex, but I have met my share of famous people just from what we get to do, whether it’s being an athlete or being in the media. LeBron is that guy, though. He’s the one where I would struggle to formulate a sentence if I got to spend some time with him. What was really cool for me is the fact that he was there to be a fan of us, instead of us being fans of him at the time. That paradigm shift was super awesome. And he was into it, too. He’s a fan of the Buckeyes. You even see it today when our guys are playing in the College Football Playoffs. He’s @tting the guys as they are making plays on the field. I think it’s the coolest thing ever.”
Perry, now a commentator on the Big Ten Network, is definitely not the first player, or person, to feel in awe about someone of James’ stature.
