CLEVELAND — LeBron James once dreamed of playing in the NFL. He did for 30 seconds.
In a television commercial debuting Sunday for State Farm Insurance, James, a former star wide receiver in high school, suits up for the Cleveland Browns.
A die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, James wears a brown No. 23 Browns jersey with “LeBron” on the back. The spot was recently shot at the University of Akron’s indoor training facility and will be shown will during Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship games.
This will be the second commercial James has done with State Farm, which signed him to a sponsorship last year hoping he could help the company attract young adult policyholders.
“He is one of the few sports stars who transcends his sport as a pop culture icon,” said State Farm’s Mark Gibson, an assistant vice president of advertising. “He has helped connect people to State Farm who may not have been connected with us.”
James also has done public service announcements and appearances for the insurance provider.
At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, James often describes himself as a football player. He was an All-Ohio selection at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and still plays flag football at the school during the offseason.
James said he had input into the commercial, which shows using some of his basketball skills to help the Browns on the football field.
“I chose what team I wanted to wear, what I wanted to do and which routes I wanted to run,” he said.
James has been criticized by Cleveland fans for supporting the Cowboys and New York Yankees. He triggered a public outcry when he wore a Yankees cap to an Indians playoff game two years ago and again to a Browns home game against Dallas last season .
So was it tough pulling on an orange Browns helmet and not one with a star on it?
“No,” James said with a wink. “I love the Browns.”
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