Former University of Southern California football player and retired NFL player Reggie Bush, 39, triggered some social media users with his comments about 39-year-old NBA legend LeBron James.
On Aug. 29, Bleacher Report’s Instagram account uploaded a video of LeBron performing weightlifting squats. Bush jumped into the comment section to give his take on the clip.
“I’ve never seen these kinda squats before,” Bush posted in response to LeBron’s filmed workout routine. The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner added a face with tears of joy emoji.
Other Instagram users co-signed the former running back’s take with laughing emojis of their own. One commenter joked, “Neither have we, bro. Neither have we.” Yet, another person responded, “I’m glad someone said it.”
The Super Bowl XLIV champion faced negative reactions as well. For example, a LeBron fan posted, “That’s what separates him from other players.” Another King James supporter shot back, “That’s why you didn’t last in the league long. Bron on his 21st year.”
A third said, “That’s why his career is longer than yours.”
James started his record-breaking NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. The four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA MVP will start his 22nd season in the league when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22, 2024.
Bush remained in the NFL for 11 seasons between 2006 and 2016. The running back mostly hit the field for the New Orleans Saints which included a Super Bowl victory in 2010.
Additionally, Bush got ribbed on Instagram about his famous ex-girlfriend. Someone quipped, “You dated Kim Kardashian fam… I’m sure you’ve seen these kinda squats.” Yet another joker wrote, “Probably the same squats Kim was doing with her trainers while y’all were together.”
Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush’s relationship began after Bush’s USC Trojans teammate Matt Leinart introduced them at the 2007 ESPY Awards. They dated off and on between 2007 and 2009.
Bush later married Armenian dancer Lilit Avagyan in 2014. The couple has three children: one daughter, 11-year-old Briseis, as well as two sons, 9-year-old Uriah and 6-year-old Agyemang.
Bush’s lighthearted jab at James on Instagram came after years of him applauding the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on X (formerly Twitter). For instance, in 2010, Bush tweeted, “Lebron’s greatness has carried his team thus far. But even the greatest athletes need help. That’s why it’s called a team sport. ’96 Bulls.”
As for LeBron, he was the no. 1 draft pick in the 2003 NBA Draft at age 18. Thus far in his 21-year NBA career, the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate has earned four championships: two consecutively with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, a third with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and his last championship came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, two years after signing to the team.
He’s the first player to win Finals MVP with three different franchises, and the fourth to win four championships and four regular season MVP awards after legends before him such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. LeBron has won Rookie of the Year and played in over 20 All-Star games.
Previously, Bush praised LeBron’s athleticism. A 2018 episode of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” featured Bush claiming the former highly-recruited high school football player would have a “very productive season” if the Dallas Cowboys signed him as a wide receiver.
LeBron has had supportive words for Reggie Bush too. In Sept. 2017, James reacted to a 2004 clip of Bush at USC by tweeting, “One of the greatest college players I’ve ever seen play football. Incredible!!”
Bush’s stint in college had memorable highs and lows. USC defeated Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl to win the BCS National Championship. That was the same year Bush was awarded the coveted Heisman Trophy which recognizes the most outstanding player in college football.
However, Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman Trophy in 2010 after an NCAA investigation uncovered he received improper benefits and gifts during his time at USC from 2003 to 2005.
The NCAA also sanctioned USC with four years of probation and forced the football team to vacate its last two wins of the 2004 season, including the 2005 Orange Bowl. Those controversial decisions plagued Bush’s legacy for two decades.
In April 2024, Bush got his Heisman Trophy back. The Heisman Trust reinstated the La Mesa, California, native as the 2005 winner. The reinstatement resulted from the NCAA changing its rules in 2021 to allow college athletes to make money from their name, image, and likeness.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush said in a statement to ESPN.
On Aug. 27, 2024, Bush celebrated being among the Heisman Trophy fraternity again. He shared a 13-second video on X of his picture joining the Nissan’s Heisman House campaign. Bush captioned the clip, “New portrait, who this?”
Marisstella Marinkovic, Nissan U.S. vice president and chief marketing officer, stated, “This year is extra special as we welcome Reggie Bush to the house and other Heisman greats alongside our award-winning Nissan lineup. I promise you all the laughs and special moments Heisman House is known for.”
Following his professional playing career, Bush became a college football analyst for Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” program from 2019 to 2022. The 2-time college football All-American signed on as a Srixon/Cleveland Golf ambassador in 2022.
