LeBron's OBJ Tweet Draws Fire, And Some Fun

LeBron James tweeted favorably about Odell Beckham Jr., but it didn't come without some pushback.

Let's start at the beginning, and that starts with the Cleveland Browns. Beckham has proven to be little more than a lousy fit. He is rarely open, rarely targeted by Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, and does not always catch the thing when it's thrown his way, anyway.

Basically, Beckham and the Browns so far have been a lousy match. In fact, the Browns seem to play better without him. Usually, the offense just clicks better.

Anyway, Tuesday is the NFL trade deadline. So for whatever reason, James felt compelled to weigh in. James, remember, is a basketball player. But he is also an NFL fan. In fact, he reportedly switched his allegiance from the Dallas Cowboys as a kid ... to no less than the Browns.

"OBJ will show again why he’s special. WR1 #FreeOBJ," James tweeted.

So it's hard to tell whether James is rooting for the Browns here, or Beckham. It sounds like Beckham.

Then again, LeBron was sort of a pioneer in NBA player movement, switching teams from the Cavs to Miami Heat, back to the Cavs and now to the Los Angeles Lakers. As one NBA general manager once joked to OutKick, "No matter where LeBron is, he'd rather be somewhere else."

But as is often the case, the replies under James' OBJ tweet came with some humor and some criticism.

For the record, the Browns intend to hang on to Beckham -- at least, that's what the reports say. But you have to wonder why, given the clear lack of chemistry with the QB, and the fact the Browns have only been so-so with him on the field.

They did listen to trade calls, but that was apparently the extent of it.

"Last year, a torn ACL shut him down after Week 7," wrote Zachary Links of Pro Football Rumors. "This year, he’s been dealing with a shoulder malady. OBJ has been active since Week 3, but he’s not quite 100% healed up. His best games to date came against the Bears (5 catches for 77 yards) and, more recently, the Cardinals (5/79). Outside of that, we haven’t seen the vintage OBJ in 2021."

Free OBJ? How about the Browns freeing themselves?