Getty Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers.
Critics have had a lot to say about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his shortcomings, perceived or otherwise, over the course of the 2021 preseason.
Now, unfortunately for the Niners veteran, NBA megastars have also begun to chime in.
Garoppolo caught a good deal of flak over his play in practice to wind down the week, but one thing he can’t seem to catch is a break.
Wider spread criticism of the quarterback has centered on his performance during two joint practice sessions with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 19-20, leading up to a preseason game between the two teams on Sunday. During Friday’s session, Garoppolo tossed an interception to Chargers safety Derwin James, which would have been returned for a touchdown had the throw been made in a regular season game.
The sequence caught the attention of another prominent James in the world of sports, one with the first name LeBron. Yes, you read that correctly. Four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers, did not just comment on the embarrassing play.
He also retweeted video of the interception to his 50 million Twitter followers.
“Something about them JAMES boys!! Happy to see you back healthy again and doing what you do best DJ,” Lebron James wrote, reposting footage of the pick originally put online by the Chargers official Twitter account.
Now just over a day old, the King’s video retweet has already been liked nearly 32,000 times.
King James Tweet About Props, Not Hate
Getty ImagesLakers star LeBron James.
As it turns out, the post by James was much less about embarrassing Garoppolo, if that was part of his intention at all, and much more about showing love to the 2018 first-round NFL draft pick of the same last name.
Derwin James made a Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro honors during his rookie season. However, the free safety played in only five games in 2019, and not at all in 2020, due to injury problems.
Also back in 2018, Derwin James spoke to Dan Woike, of the Los Angeles Times, offering glowing praise for LeBron as the Chargers safety entered the league.
Chargers first-round pick Derwin James said his favorite NBA team is “LeBron James.”
“Chargers first-round pick Derwin James said his favorite NBA team is ‘LeBron James,'” Woike tweeted.
Garoppolo Also Mocked Over Thursday Practice Performance
GettyJimmy Garoppolo, of the San Francisco 49ers.
As awful as it has to feel to have video of one of your worst mistakes of the preseason retweeted by one of the most famous and followed athletes on the globe, James’ online antics technically amount to piling on Garoppolo, as the quarterback also faced ridicule for plays he made in the first joint practice with the Chargers the day before.
Namely, a report from Grant Cohn, of Sports Illustrated’s All 49ers, asserted that several players on the Chargers sideline laughed at Garoppolo after he was intercepted by Asante Samuel Jr. during a drill.
The Chargers were laughing at Jimmy Garoppolo on the sideline during the red zone drill when he threw one pick and nearly threw two more.
“The Chargers were laughing at Jimmy Garoppolo on the sideline during the red zone drill when he threw one pick and nearly threw two more,” Cohn tweeted.
Video of the interception to Samuel Jr. also found its way online, this time courtesy of the Pro Football Focus (PFF) College Twitter account.
Asante Samuel Jr making Jimmy G regret this throw 🔒
Garoppolo entered the offseason as the Niners clear cut No. 1 quarterback, but rookie Trey Lance has pushed the veteran starter.
Lance put up better numbers across the board during training camp. He also made a stellar 80-yard touchdown throw during the Niners’ opening preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which showed the kind of physical talent that sets Lance apart from many of his NFL counterparts.
Shanahan has remained firm, however, that Garoppolo is still his guy come Week 1, while also announcing publicly that Lance will see the field in some capacity right away, even if not as a starter.