What teams does LeBron James root for?
LeBron James has stated or been reported to hold rooting interests in several teams outside basketball, split across the NFL, college football and MLB. In football, he told NBC Sports Philadelphia in October 2022 "I'm all-in on the Browns," which makes the Cleveland Browns his confirmed current NFL team. In college football, CBS Sports printed his Instagram caption from November 2017, after Ohio State beat Michigan: "Anyways S/O Urban and the boys on a job well done! #OH #GoBucks". In baseball, CNN reported in 2016 that he grew up rooting for the New York Yankees and that he now says he is a fan of Cleveland's team. He also once followed the Dallas Cowboys, a fandom that ended in 2022, and he has a background tie to the Los Angeles Dodgers that stops short of a stated fandom.
What team did LeBron James root for growing up?
CNN reported on October 24, 2016 that James, "from nearby Akron, Ohio, actually grew up rooting for the New York Yankees." In the same coverage, he listed his early loyalties himself: "I love the Bulls, I love the Cowboys, I love the Yankees." FanSided reported the same trio in October 2023, quoting him as saying "I loved the Bulls, Cowboys and loved the Yankees."
The Yankees won the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000, the years he turned 12, 14, 15 and 16. The Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, the year he turned 9, Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994, the year he turned 10, and Super Bowl XXX in 1996, the year he turned 12. Karl-Anthony Towns is reported to share the Yankees fandom.
Is LeBron James still a Cowboys fan?
No. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth described him in December 2012 as "a well known fan of the Dallas Cowboys," and the 2016 CNN quote shows him still naming them among his teams. The fandom ended in October 2022, when he told NBC Sports Philadelphia, "I had to sit out on the Cowboys, man." In the same conversation he said he was all-in on the Browns, and the Browns have taken the place the Cowboys held.
Plenty of other players are on record as Cowboys fans. Shaquille O'Neal, Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Chris Bosh, Dennis Rodman and Julius Randle have said so in their own words. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers have been reported as fans.
Does LeBron James like the Cleveland Browns?
Yes, and he has said so himself. His "I'm all-in on the Browns" comment came in an October 28, 2022 interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. Sportskeeda picked it up a year later, writing that "Apart from supporting the Cleveland Browns, LeBron James is often seen rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes." The tie matches where he comes from: he was born in Akron, Ohio, attended high school there, and was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He played for Cleveland in two stretches, 2003 to 2010 and 2014 to 2018.
Does LeBron James like the Ohio State Buckeyes?
The Buckeyes are the one college team on his list. The support comes from his own Instagram post of November 25, 2017, which CBS Sports printed: "Anyways S/O Urban and the boys on a job well done! #OH #GoBucks". Audacy, in October 2022, paired "Ohio State and his hometown Cleveland Guardians" when describing his rooting interests. As with the Browns, the choice fits a player from Akron, Ohio, though Ohio State is not in the Cleveland area and no source ties the fandom to a particular start date.
Does LeBron James like the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians?
Both are reported rather than confirmed in his own words. CNN's October 2016 report says he grew up rooting for the Yankees, and FanSided's 2023 quote of him saying he "loved the Yankees" supports the childhood tie. The Guardians, then the Cleveland Indians, came up in that same CNN piece, which said that with the team in the World Series, "LeBron James now says he's a fan." Audacy later called Cleveland's team his hometown club in 2022, using the Guardians name. Neither source gives a date when either fandom began or ended.
Does LeBron James like the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Not in any stated way. MLB.com wrote in October 2020 that "He had a tweet for nearly every Dodgers highlight," which shows a background tie, not a claim of fandom from James. Paul Pierce and Rui Hachimura are reported as Dodgers fans as well. His time with the Lakers, from 2018, overlaps with that coverage, though no source links the two.
Questions people ask
What is LeBron James's favorite NFL team?
The Cleveland Browns. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia in October 2022, "I'm all-in on the Browns," after saying he had "to sit out on the Cowboys."
What is LeBron James's favorite college team?
The Ohio State Buckeyes. He posted "Anyways S/O Urban and the boys on a job well done! #OH #GoBucks" on Instagram in November 2017, and CBS Sports printed it.
What is LeBron James's favorite MLB team?
Sources point to more than one. CNN reported in 2016 that he grew up rooting for the New York Yankees and that he now says he is a fan of Cleveland's team, now called the Guardians. A tie to the Los Angeles Dodgers is documented, but not as a stated fandom.
Is LeBron James still a Cowboys fan?
No. He was a Cowboys fan from childhood until 2022, when he said "I had to sit out on the Cowboys, man."