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LeBron James’ Message to Shedeur Sanders During Browns Debut Catches Attention

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 10:07 PM ET

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was already trending on social media even before kickoff of Friday’s preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

That didn’t change during the game as the 23-year-old signal-caller got off to a rocky start but redeemed himself with two impressive scoring drives in the second quarter to give the Browns a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Sanders connected with Kaden Davis for both of his touchdowns— a 7-yarder and 12-yarder—and he finished the first half with 102 yards passing and two touchdowns along with a 113.9 passer rating.

Seemingly everyone was sounding off on Sanders’ impressive stat line, including his dad Deion, who couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk smack to his son’s critics, but one of the more notable shoutouts Sanders received was from Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

An Ohio native, James’ Cleveland sports fandom is well-documented. And he wasn’t afraid to let everyone know he was not only rooting for Sanders, but he was impressed with what he saw on the field.

“That young looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders. Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high ,” James tweeted.

“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. ‍♂️,” James stated in a follow-up tweet.

That young looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025

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. ‍♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025

Sanders is locked in a fierce quarterback battle along with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel.

According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, Sanders’ performance in Friday’s preseason game could be a big factor into how head coach Kevin Stefanski evaluates the four-player QB race.

“Looking big-picture at this competition, head coach Kevin Stefanski said he's hopeful that Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel can return from their injuries in time for joint practices with the Eagles next week," Oyefusi stated during an appearance on “SportsCenter” on Friday morning. “Stefanski said he's looking to make a decision on QB1 sooner rather than later, so next week should be pretty pivotal.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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