LeBron James might be arguably the greatest basketball player ever, but he’s definitely one of the funniest in the NBA. No argument there. As terrifying as he is on the court, Bron’s just as hilarious off it. Remember the banana boat ride? Or how he’s always caught reading the first page of a book, trying to flex that intellectual side? But what started as regular locker room antics and harmless memes eventually turned into a million-dollar strategy. And recently, Dwyane Wade chimed in. Yep, Flash himself had a take on LeBron’s off-court comedy. And how those viral moments became part of the brand.
On a recent episode of Pardon My Take, Dwyane Wade got hit with the perfect question: What’s the deal with LeBron’s famous “reading meme” habit? And honestly, if anyone knows LeBron better than Bron himself, it’s D-Wade. The timing was perfect, and so was the person answering it. Wade didn’t hold back either. From the fun side of the viral book moments to the clever marketing strategy behind it, Wade laid it all out.
Answering to host’s question on how deep he has seen LeBron get into books? Wade, as usual, laughs, “A lot of books!” Explaining the fun part, Wade added, “I never sat down and watch how many pages he reads.” Now, that’s a bummer. Wade peeled back the curtain on the business side of it, too. He started saying, I love the the when someone can make fun of themselves i love the fact that LeBron and his team has now marketed him as someone who reads the first page the first page yeah i that is to me when you if you can make fun of yourself, absolutely, people really can, they love you.” For Wade, if you can’t be fun or funny and you take yourself too seriously, then everyone else is going to take it too seriously! So what has worked in King James’ favor? Wade explained. “I love the fact that LeBron has now made millions of dollars off everybody talking about him, reading one page.”
After seeing the podcast, here’s where things get interesting. LeBron is involved with Royal Kingdom, a mobile game’s marketing campaign. And yep, he’s using that reading meme from 2021 as a marketing move. To give you a little more context, the ad takes on a hilarious mock-documentary approach. A gamer accuses LeBron of lying about reading 23 books in a year. The so-called “evidence” was a secret footage showing Bron swiping his fingers across book pages like he’s scrolling a phone screen… and even holding books upside down.
A picture featuring Dwyane Wade and LeBron James
To crank up the humor, the gamer even drags LeBron’s librarian into the mix as a witness. It’s peak meme comedy, and the ad brilliantly flips the script, letting LeBron roast himself while casually plugging the game. Turns out, when it comes to making memes and millions at the same time, no one’s touching The King. But what about Wade? While LeBron is using his reading book meme to earn millions, what is Wade doing?
Dwyane Wade reveals his “sleepy’ reading habits
Dwyane Wade isn’t just a 3-time NBA champ; he’s a certified author, too. Over the years, he’s penned several books, including Dwyane, 3-Dimensional, and A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball, and many more. But interestingly, unlike his buddy LeBron James, Wade’s got zero agenda when it comes to reading his own books. And he’s not shy about it either.
On the same Pardon My Take episode, Wade admitted, “I’m one of them people I start reading the book and I’m going to sleep fast.” And what about listening to the audiobook versions of his work? Yeah, still a no from D-Wade. As he said, “I got to listen to my book, I’m sorry I ain’t going to make it.”
So here’s the hilarious twist: while LeBron’s out here making memes (and millions) by pretending to read, Wade’s actually writing the books. The irony is that Wade can write them. LeBron can “read” them, at least pretend to. And together, they’re running the funniest, most unexpected book club the NBA’s ever seen.
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