LeBron James and Shedeur Sanders have a lot in common. Both came into their respective leagues with high expectations and plenty of skepticism. So when Shedeur Sanders came out and played will in his NFL preseason debut, James was one of his most vocal supporters.
“That young (king emoji) looking good out there!” LeBron James posted on his twitter account. “@ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high.”
Shedeur Sanders made his NFL preseason debut with the Cleveland Browns on Friday night.
The former Jackson State and Colorado quarterback had a stellar NFL debut against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts on Friday night for 138 yards and two touchdowns to Kaden Davis in three periods off play in Charlotte.
Shedeur Sanders threw the first of his two touchdown passes early in the second quarter. He rolled out following play action and found Davis for a seven yard touchdown pass at the back of the end zone to tie the game at 7. Later in the second quarter he found Davis for a 12 yard strike just before he hit the ground to put the Browns up 14-7 in the second quarter.
Sanders started the third quarter as well, helping lead a drive that culminated in a four yard touchdown run by Gage Larvadain to go up 21-7 before calling it a night.
The 144th pick on the 2025 NFL Draft finished the game with a rating of 106.8 and did not throw an interception or fumble the ball. He also showed off his athletic ability with a ten yard rush that extended a drive and accounted for a first down.
James, who also supported Sanders back during his time at Jackson State, knows there will still be doubters despite Sanders’ stellar performance. But he doesn’t care that it was just preseason.