Odell Beckham Jr. sees Cavs legend LeBron James as his Cleveland idol

LeBron James is the best player in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and him recently bringing a championship to the city of Cleveland set the bar for new Cleveland Browns superstar Odell Beckham Jr.

Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers know what LeBron James did for their hometown NBA team all too well. He was one of, and mostly the best, player in the Association during his tenure with the team, a time span of 11 seasons, and he was the key reason the Cavaliers pulled off the only 3-1 comeback in the history of the NBA Finals, when his squad beat the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

James is also the Cleveland Cavaliers’ career leader in points, assists, rebounds, steals and win shares (among several other statistics), according to Basketball Reference.

Him coming back to his rightful home squad in the summer of 2014 after leaving to join the Miami Heat via free agency in 2010 and delivering on his promise of winning a championship for The Land is one of the biggest accomplishments in Cleveland sports history, especially in the fashion in which it happened (James is now on the Los Angeles Lakers, courtesy of free agency last summer, as a side note).

Now another Cleveland superstar, this one being on the Cleveland Browns, in new trade addition, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (who was reportedly acquired from the New York Giants last month), wants to do the same thing James did (h/t Cavaliers Nation’s Danny Small).

Beckham touched on how he essentially sees LeBron as his “idol,” and mentioned how he wants to do what James did in bringing a championship to Cleveland, with this iteration being for the Browns, obviously.

Here’s that soundbite from the team’s introductory press conference on Monday (via the Cleveland Browns).

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Beckham and the Browns will be difficult, as Cleveland fans know all too well, as the team hasn’t had the best track record since returning in 1999.

However, with the way Cleveland’s division is shaping up with the Cincinnati Bengals appearing to be amid a full-rebuild, the Pittsburgh Steelers recently losing their two best playmakers in Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown and coming off a disappointing season, and the Baltimore Ravens losing some key defensive pieces and having question marks about their passing offense in the near future, the Browns could feasibly control the division for years to come.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s  retirement in the near future plays into Cleveland being a contender, too.

Impressive second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield has a bevy of playmakers, a solid offensive line, and now a head coach that fits his aggressive approach to the game in play-caller Freddie Kitchens, to go with a heck of a play designer in new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

The defense has a new toy in edge rusher Olivier Vernon (who was also formerly on the Giants, and was reportedly acquired via trade, too) and interior force Sheldon Richardson, as well.

Will Beckham be able to do what James did, in bringing a championship to Cleveland, like LeBron did for the Cleveland Cavaliers? We’ll see.

As the aforementioned Small noted, “it is difficult to imagine any athlete ever eclipsing James’ legacy in Cleveland, but that’s an impossible standard to meet.”

The Browns haven’t made the Super Bowl and haven’t even made the postseason since 2003, so delivering a ring won’t be an easy task for Beckham and company, but it’s cool to know that James told Beckham that he would love Cleveland, and it’s cool to see how the massive potential of the Browns will play out on the field in the coming years.

Good luck, OBJ.