LeBron James delivers surprise gift for Ohio State football before Penn State game

Despite never attending Ohio State for his collegiate basketball career (or college at all), four-time NBA champion LeBron James has never let his love fade for the football program.

When he's not in season, James is a frequent attendee at games and is often seen on the sidelines mingling with players, coaches and support staff whenever he gets a chance to.

With Jamess' support comes added perks for the team, such as gear. This year, though, James' gift caarries extra significance.

Ohio State is set to play Penn State this Saturday in Columbus, a long-standing rivalry that has seen the Buckeyes dominate the series for nearly a decade. This year's matchup has a slightly different significance, however, as the Nittany Lions find themselves without their now-former coach, James Franklin, quarterback Drew Allar, and a shot at a College Football Playoff berth.

Nonetheless, though, James delivered an epic surprise as seen on Ohio State's social media pages: custom cleats.

LeBron James hooked up the Ohio State Buckeyes with special cleats inspired by his “Grand Opening” Nike LeBron 23 👑👀 pic.twitter.com/idgG9v1eJj
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 27, 2025

"LeBron James hooked up the Ohio State Buckeyes with special cleats inspired by his “Grand Opening” Nike LeBron 23," the account "Nice Kicks" posted.

Although coach Ryan Day has yet to react to James' gift, he did tease James during "The Tonight Show" in January about how he would have been recruited.

“He doesn’t get any special treatment.”

-@ryandaytime on “recruiting” @KingJames to play for @OhioStateFB 🤣 #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/BTyYfg6jaD
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) January 28, 2025

LeBron is a great supporter," Day said. "With that said, he’d have to start with the freshman in the back of the room and work his way up. He doesn’t get any special treatment.”

About two decades ago, though, former Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel was obsessed with James' athleticism and thought football might be a good fit.

“He was a beast,” Tressel said on a podcast last December. “All you had to do was throw it up there. And he could fly, he had everything.”

Tressel says with all of the changes happening in college sports, something vastly different could benefit the landscape holistically.

“I think you should play one year of football and one year of basketball – coach [Jim] O’Brien was our coach back then – and then go ahead on to the NBA. … And I’ll never forget. He’s got that smile and said, ‘I don’t think so, Coach.’”

Tressel also characterized James, as a good luck, charm, which still holds true today.

“That man was so special for our kids,” Tressel added. “They said, ‘We must be important if LeBron is here, and we better not lose’. We never lost to Michigan when he was on the sidelines. He was undefeated.”

The Buckeyes are also unbeaten at 7-0, attempting to hang onto college football's No. 1 ranking for as long as they can.

For now, only time will tell.