Getty Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears rolls out to look for a receiver against the Miami Dolphins during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 14, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
It didn’t take long for Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields to make a strong impression. After his NFL debut against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason opener on August 14, Fields set Twitter on fire, and he got a special social media shout out from one of the world’s greatest and most famous athletes.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James showed Fields some love, calling him “special” and a young king (okay, so he used a crown emoji), while also encouraging the 22-year-old signal-caller to “keep going:”
It was the second time James has given Fields a shout out on Twitter. The Lakers star, who hails from Akron, Ohio, is a huge Buckeyes fan, and he also called Fields “special” after Ohio State won the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Clemson Tigers in January:
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Fields Responds to LeBron Shout Out
Fields finished his first game of the 2021 preseason going 14-20 (that’s a 70% completion rate) for 142 passing yards and a touchdown. He also ran five times for 33 yards and a TD, finishing with an impressive QB rating of 106.7.
When he spoke to the media after the game, Fields was informed of James’ tweet, and the rookie QB beamed with pride. “This is my second shoutout,” Fields said, referencing James, per Adam Hoge of NBC Sports, adding: “I’m definitely keeping track of that.”
Fields also noted that he has never met LeBron before, but found it “awesome” to be on the King’s radar, noting he had a poster of James on his wall growing up, per Shaw Media’s Sean Hammond.
Fields also responded to James directly on Twitter later, after speaking with the media:
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Fields Showed Great Promise in Preseason Debut
The Bears were down 13-3 at the half after a shaky start by the entire offense, including Fields, who almost tossed a pick before he fumbled. Chicago recovered, and the rookie QB managed to lead a solid 2-minute drill to get the three points on the board for Chicago, but things still looked a bit murky after the first half ended.
Then, the third quarter happened.
Fields led drives of 77 and 70-yards, capped by a creative 8-yard touchdown scamper and a perfectly-placed 30-yard toss to tight end Jesse James, who was wide open after a blown coverage on defense.
James and Bears Twitter weren’t the only ones who loved what they saw from the 22-year-old QB.
“Everybody here is super excited about the way he played today,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy said about Fields’ debut, via WMMB’s Cam Ellis. “We all want the same thing. We understand the buzz, we understand the excitement. That’s why we drafted him. But we want to make sure we continue to go through this thing and we understand the process.”
So far, so good.
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