LeBron James has done it all on the basketball court. But as far as his Olympic career is concerned, James says there is one event he wished he could've done. In a recent interview with Craig Melvin , Bron says he wished he had done the 4x100 relay and that if he did, he wanted to be the one to cross the finish line with the baton. Of course, his haters were quick to react.
However, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce , the self-proclaimed rival of The Kid from Akron, agrees with him on this topic but on one condition.
"I didn't really notice it until he got to Miami," said Pierce. " Like I just remember one year we played Miami and I didn't play this game it was like the second game of the year, and I was in street clothes in Miami. And the first thing I said was' LeBron looks faster than I ever seen'. And I don't know if that had something to do with the Spo and Pat Riley culture, cuz I don't play them many times in Cleveland, but 100%, 27-year old LeBron, Miami LeBron could've been an Olympic sprinter."
LeBron took just nine strides to cover the full court
LeBron has always been known for his freak athleticism. Despite his size - 6'9" and around 250 pounds, he runs the floor like a guard. No, it's not just the eye test or Pierce's claim, but it's well-documented.
In 2013, ESPN's Sports Science program clocked James at a top speed of 20 miles per hour, as fast as Chris Paul's. LeBron took only 9 strides to cover the length of the court, four steps better than the average NBA player. Now, this was 2013 Bron when he was 27 or 28 years old.
"He just looked different as far as speed in Miami and athleticism," added Pierce. But they say you don't get your athletic peak until like 27, 28, 29, around there, that's where really I feel LeBron hit it, cuz it was different, I seen it in Cleveland. But when he got to Miami, it looked different. And so if he's talking about Miami 'Bron, I'm with him on that 100%. He could've been in the relay as an anchor."
Can LeBron really compete with the best sprinters?
But while James' speed is otherworldly not just for a guy his size but for a basketball player, his best isn't good enough to beat the best in the business. The current world record for the 4X100 relay for men is the 36.84 run by the Jamaican national team during the 2012 London Olympics. The anchor of that team was none other than the fastest man the world has ever seen-Usain Bolt.
That team ran the relay at over 39 kph or roughly 24.2 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Bolt was even more impressive. When he set the world record for the 100m dash, Bolt's average ground speed was at 37.58 kph. During the 60-80 yard stretch, Bolt gained a top speed of 44.72 kph or 27.78 mph. Now we don't need to compute how far back would LeBron be of Bolt. The point is that James won't win a race against Bolt - one-on-one or as an anchor.
King James is an impressive physical specimen that we have never seen before. But with his size, he is built for basketball or perhaps football. Sure, it would have been fascinating for LeBron to run the 4x100 relay in the Olympics. But it would've been a sure debacle for the U.S.A., just as it was for his 2004 Dream Team.
Related: "I truly feel responsible" - Paul Pierce takes credit for LeBron James' growth as a young player
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