LeBron James’ Obsession With ‘The Godfather’: 3 Times Lakers Star Quoted the Iconic Film Despite 1 Embarrassing Blunder (2024)

“Great men are not born great, they grow great…” This quote from Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece ‘The Godfather’ truly hits home. Well, this dialogue rightfully fits in the world of NBA and basketball in general as well. In short, great players have succeeded through dedication and a deep love for the sport. But, why are we suddenly talking about the 1972 classic film? This is because the King, LeBron James, is back expressing his love for the cinematic masterpiece.

LeBron’s love for the Al Pachino and Marlon Brando starter is an open secret. From watching the films six times to forgetting quotes from the film, King James has done it all. He regularly keeps referring to ‘The Godfather’—the most quotable movie ever. Practically speaking, what’s there not to like about the movie? The immaculate storytelling, the stellar cast, background score, and more have made it one of the greatest pieces of art ever created. So, LeBron James recently shared a special post on social media, immersing himself in the iconic character of Don Corleone.

LeBron James pays yet another homage to Francis Coppola’s masterpiece

King James is catching up with the classics as the NBA offseason rolls down with ease. His choice of film? The cult classic, ‘The Godfather’. Despite struggling to recall dialogues and scenes, his love for the nine-time Oscar-winning film remains unwavering. Thus, LeBron James wowed fans on Instagram with a clip of Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. “But I have selfish reasons,” quoted James in his Instagram Story. Don Corleone’s dialogue has clearly left a deep impression on LeBron. However, on two other occasions in the past, the icon has taken up quotes from the movie to remind his fans, that he has left his past behind. He now remembers the quotes!

The 39-year-old basketball icon picked the legendary scene where Vito Corleone talks about vengeance. Brando’s calm composture, adds a special coldness to the clip. The power this particular scene holds is incomparable. It’s outstanding just to imagine, how films like ‘The Godfather’ are quickly picked up by the audience and rightfully tagged as the greatest of all time- somewhat like LeBron James himself. Well, it’s not so difficult to understand why the four-time NBA champion refers to Francis Coppola’s masterpiece.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that the Lakers’ star has drawn inspiration from ‘The Godfather’. History has witnessed not just LeBron James’ love for the movie but also the silly blunders he’s made. Well, King James, has come a long way since 2016. And luckily, now he can remember the quotes. Look at him adding the dialogue to his social media story- Progress! Now, let’s see how LeBron took inspiration from ‘The Godfather’ in other instances.

King James turned some pages from Mario Puzo’s book and sent out a birthday message for himself

He wanted to shrug away the blunders of 2016 as soon as possible. After claiming to be a fan of ‘The Godfather’ but missing out on telling his favorite quote or scene, LeBron needed redemption. Although someone like him wouldn’t have bothered much about such a trivial slip, the King of the Court thought it was important to come clean. Therefore, when he got a chance to show, that he was indeed a devotee of Mario Puzo’s work, he took every opportunity available to pursue it.

So back in 2017, following a 103-99 loss to the Boston Celtics, LeBron James picked up the 1969 classic. Nose it book, the then-Cleveland Cavaliers frontman sat wrapped in ice when the locker room filled with reporters. At first, it looked like the PR officials might send them away, but to their utter surprise, LeBron James picked up the book and read it once again. He even walked into the arena reading the book. Another time in 2022, on his 37th birthday, James posted a birthday message on Instagram. This featured a quote from Godfather 2. His birthday cake and the “smaller piece” quote were clearly referencing Hyman Roth’s cake-cutting scene from the movie.

Redeeming himself from the embarrassment of forgetting the quotes in 2016, led King James to take up some extreme and cautious measures from time to time. Moreover, his little attempts to keep alive the thrill of the trilogy are commendable. However, the memories from 2016 just don’t seem to budge away from our minds!

The former Cleveland Cavaliers foreman couldn’t recall quotes from his favorite movie

Imagine watching any film six times and not being able to recall a single dialogue. That’s LeBron James for you from 2016. A major blast from the past comes as the current LA Lakers superstar finds himself dipping his toes in the fandom of ‘The Godfather’ all over again. So, what happened eight years ago? The year 2016 was an extremely special year for the Cavaliers. Under the leadership of the King himself, they won their first and only NBA title.

The moment was not just historic but dramatic as well. Reminiscing on the moment from 8 years ago, it’s hard not to thank Francis Ford Coppola for bringing Larry O’Brien to The Land in 2016. Why? This is because James had drawn inspiration from Coppola’s 1972 classic trilogy ‘The Godfather’ right before the showdown. ESPN reported LeBron admitted to having watched ‘The Godfather 2’ the night before Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. James said it was his sixth time watching that movie that postseason, which helped him score 41 points in the crucial game.

But when he was asked to share a favorite quote/dialogue from the movie, the NBA icon went blank. “There’s too many different phrases, and too many different lines in that movie to categorize one. … Each movie is nine hours long, what do you want me to do? I’ll let you pick one, and I’ll roll with it.”LeBron James reasoned. In all honesty, back then he was asked to share a particular scene or moment that was imprinted in his mind. But, well, poor LeBron’s endearing blunder gave a good laugh to his friends and fans.

However, the star has come a long way. Eight years down the line, LeBron can now remember his favorite scenes from the trilogy and also quote them accordingly. Mario Puzo’s book which turned into a film has been a source of entertainment for the last five decades. Even after all these years, the effect ‘The Godfather’ has on the audience is insane. And maybe, LeBron James tops the list of diehard fans.