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LeBron James offers support to 'young king' Shedeur Sanders
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- LeBron James offers support to 'young king' Shedeur Sanders
"King James" may be ready for the coronation of another Cleveland star.
Northeast Ohio's LeBron James may not be a Cleveland Browns fan – he prefers the star of "Big D" – but he had a little bit to say about Shedeur Sanders' debut on Friday night.
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James took to X to post messages of support for Sanders, with the NBA great also offering critiques of Sanders' critics.
"That young (king emoji) looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high," James posted with a pair of emojis.
MORE SHEDEUR: Follow Shedeur Sanders' debut live with highlights and more
James also took the opportunity to denounce critics of Sanders who may use "preseason" as an excuse to detract from his performance.
"And I don't wanna hear that 'It's only preseason' bs. Cause if he was out there not going in y'all would be on his ass about it! So give credit and grace lames," he posted.
Sanders' road to starting preseason Week 1 for the Browns has been winding. He endured a precipitous drop in the 2025 NFL Draft, falling all the way to Cleveland in the fifth round when he was widely considered to be a Day 1 or 2 prospect.
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He was also placed under the microscope for a pair of speeding tickets he was slapped with in July.
A pair of injuries to third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and offseason acquisition Kenny Pickett opened the door for Sanders to start vs. the Panthers, and he made the most of it through a half: Sanders notched two touchdown passes in the second quarter, leading to James' reaction.
Now, Sanders looks to become the next royal to bring glory to the city of Cleveland.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron reacts to Shedeur Sanders' Browns debut
