Lakers: Chad Ochocinco reveals he beat prime LeBron James in a 1-on-1 game of 21

Former Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad Ochocinco recently said he beat Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James one-on-one.

“I have a great story about LeBron, too,” Ochocinco told Shannon Sharpe on an episode of “Nightcap.” “When he was with the Heat, we played one-on-one at the YMCA. “We tied it at 21. I beat him 21-17. “

Ochocinco played 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 of which were as a member of the Bengals. Arguably, his best season in the NFL was the 2006 season. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver led the league in receiving yards (1,369) and receiving yards per game (85.6) in 16 regular-season games for the Bengals.

Ochocinco earned Pro Bowl recognition for his outstanding receiving numbers that season.

Interestingly, after spending the first 10 seasons of his NFL career with the Bengals, Ochocinco spent his 11th and final season in the NFL playing for the New England Patriots. However, he is clearly not the same player he was earlier in his career with the Bengals, as he appeared in 15 games for New England during the 2011 regular season, totaling just 276 yards and one touchdown reception.

Meanwhile, James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers during his 20 seasons in the NBA. In the 2022-23 regular season, he played 55 games (54 starts) for the legendary Lakers, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

James’ best season in the NBA was arguably the 2007-08 season, when he was a member of the Cavaliers. The forward averaged a league-high 30.0 points per game in 75 regular season games with the Cavaliers, along with 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks. In addition, James shot 48.4% from the field that season and 31.5% from three-point range.

It seems unlikely that Ochocinco will tell the truth about beating James one-on-one. After all, for an athlete as great as Ochocinco, James was arguably at the peak of his career and the best player in the NBA while playing for the Heat.