“LeBron James felt he was going to die in a plane crash with Cavaliers”: When Lakers star recalled experiencing a near-death event as his team plane almost crashed

LeBron James allegedly believed he would die in a plane accident while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former NBA champion recently became the first active player to become a billionaire, according to Forbes.

LeBron James is estimated to be the world’s second most paid athlete, trailing only Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain. The basketball icon has won four NBA titles, three Olympic medals, and made 18 NBA All-Star appearances.

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In March, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring record, with 37,062 points (38,387).

Only Jordan (six times), Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell (both five times) have been named NBA MVP more times than James.

James has had an outstanding career, winning three championships with three different teams. LeBron James led the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers to championships.

LeBron James once feared that he would die in a plane crash while travelling with the Cavaliers team

What would the world be like if LeBron James did not exist? We may never know, but according to the guy himself, it was once imaginable.

On December 11, the NBA legend spoke with colleague Dwayne Wade on UNINTERRUPTED’s Road Trippin’ podcast and shared a scary experience on a team trip. LeBron mentioned on the show how the Cavaliers’ team plane was old—very old—when he initially joined the organization in 2003.

A few years later, LeBron brought up the topic again with the Cavs’ new owner, Dan Gilbert, who dismissed his remarks once more. However, following a traumatic event that featured damaged ankles and a lot of puke, the team’s leadership decided to purchase a new jet.

“We played 1-on-1, ONE time in our whole life … & it was during The (Eastern Conference) Finals.” – @KingJames & @DwyaneWade

🏀💸👀🔥

EPISODE 61: DROPPED!!!

LISTEN: https://t.co/KvU48DVOMd pic.twitter.com/wMckdEOG2H

— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) December 11, 2017

“So, we fly from Cleveland… Then we travel to Detroit to pick up the ownership because that is where they are situated. So we proceed to Detroit, pick up everyone there, and are now flying from Detroit to Houston. Every every person on the plane from Detroit to Houston feared they were going to die. I mean it literally.

Our owner’s wife was pregnant at the time, and she vomited several times. DJ Montage, one of my family members, puked. Our flight attendant sprained her ankle. We peeked into the kitchen at one point during the journey and noticed smoke pouring from it.”

LeBron also admitted to keeping things light by playing cards. “Deal the m****r f***g cards!” he recalls yelling. “I came here to play some cards.”

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Obviously, no one was hurt, but the Cavaliers received a new jet the next year. LeBron brought Cleveland a title, and thankfully, they changed their plane before anything catastrophic happened.