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LeBron hilariously has no clue who Philadelphia Eagles stars are, towers over them

Eagles WR A.J. Brown looks enormous. Next to LeBron James, he's amusingly short. At least the Los Angeles Lakers legend recognized him, unlike some others.
Matthew Graham|
Jan 28, 2025; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jan 28, 2025; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia EaglesLos Angeles Lakers

It's always a marketing dilemma for NFL stars that they don't make as much off the court as their NBA peers because they were helmets.

LeBron James might be a perfect case study, both as a juggernaut brand and as a casual sports fan.

Many of the Philadelphia Eagles stars were sitting courtside to watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Philadelphia 76ers, in which the Sixers won 118-104 without Joel Embiid. Social media skewered him while Lakers head coach, and former Sixer, JJ Redick defended him.

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LeBron James, Savannah James, Bronny, Bryce, Zhuri
LeBron James/Instagram

Before the game, James came over to show the Super Bowl-bound players some love. Well specifically, wide receivers Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown. The immortal 40-year-old also shouts out "Big Game Slay," cornerback Darius Slay.

Hilariously, he completely ignores other Eagles stars standing right there, like Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship.

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In LeBron's defense, both Blankenship and DeJean look like they could still be in high school. So he probably thought they were just some rich kids from the Main Line. (That's a Philly reference for the swanky part of town.)

Funny enough, DeJean, already a huge fan favorite in his rookie season, will turn 22 on Super Bowl Sunday, along with Philadelphia's newly adopted favorite son, Saquon Barkley, who will turn 28.

Also, the 6-foot-9 LeBron made them all look tiny, including the 6-foot-1 A.J. Brown, who looks huge when you're watching him play every week.

For Philly fans, they're hoping that a Super Bowl victory against the hated Kansas City Chiefs will make DeJean and Blankenship household names.

Maybe then they'll get a dap from LeBron.

Cooper DeJean
NFL Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

UPDATE: There was also a connection between little used Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell and LeBron, who attended James' alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and played for the King's favorite college football team, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The duo hung out after the game and spent some more time with Brown, Slay, and Slay's wife Jennifer... DeJean and Blankenship were nowhere to be found.

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Matthew Graham
MATTHEW GRAHAM

Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.

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