Could LeBron James play college sports? Ohio State AD Gene Smith would 'love to help'

Could LeBron James play a college sport?

It was on the Los Angeles Lakers star and Akron native's mind right before Ohio State football took on Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener, asking on Twitter if he still had college eligibility to play another sport besides basketball.

"Do I have college eligibility if I (want) to play another sport besides basketball?" James asked. "How does that rule work?"

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith gave James the answer he was looking for Sunday afternoon.

Tagging James, Smith said the Los Angeles Lakers basketball player could play a sport at the college level if he wanted to.

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"If you never enrolled full-time in college and didn't compete in the sport that you want to play after HS graduation, you could have eligibility remaining," Smith tweeted. If you professionalize in one sport, you can still be considered an amateur in another. Would love to help you!"

LeBron James could follow in the footsteps of former teammate J.R. Smith

One of James' former teammates has done what Smith told the Los Angeles Lakers star he could do.

J.R. Smith, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, plays golf at North Carolina A&T, retaining eligibility because he had not been a professional golfer.

Could LeBron James play college football for the Buckeyes?

Before he decided to focus on basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James was a star wide receiver.

Through his two years of high school football, per Sporting News, James accounted for 2,065 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns on 103 catches.

But would LeBron James play a sport for Ohio State?

That remains to be seen with his son Bronny James currently going through the recruiting process — just visiting the Ohio State men's basketball program for the football team's season-opener against Notre Dame.

But the connection between LeBron James and Ohio State is still very strong, gifting the Buckeyes football team personalized Beats Studio3 wireless headphones.

And it's possibly already been a discussion between James and a member of Ohio State football's coaching staff.

"You already know I got ya," wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Brian Hartline tweeted Sunday. "We talked about this."

Ohio State football's 2022 schedule

• Week 1: Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10

• Week 2: Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 12

• Week 3: Ohio State 77, Toledo 21

• Week 4: Ohio State 52, Wisconsin 21

• Week 5: Ohio State vs. Rutgers, Oct. 1, Columbus Ohio

• Week 6:Ohio State vs. Michigan State, Oct. 8, East Lansing, Mich.

• Week 7: Ohio State vs. Iowa, Oct. 22, Columbus, Ohio

• Week 8: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Oct. 29, State College, Pa.

• Week 9: Ohio State vs. Northwestern, Nov. 5, Evanston, Ill.

• Week 10:Ohio State vs Indiana, Nov. 12, Columbus, Ohio

• Week 11: Ohio State vs. Maryland, Nov. 19, College Park, MD.

• Week 12: Ohio State vs. Michigan, at noon Nov. 26, Columbus, Ohio

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU AD Gene Smith wants to help LeBron James play college sports