Cooper DeJean put the world on notice during Super Bowl 2025 and, for his sake, he hopefully caught LeBron James’ eye too.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, Philadelphia’s rookie defensive back and some Eagles teammates attended the 76ers’ home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
James took a moment pregame to say hello and offer some handshakes to Philadelphia’s star receivers DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown, but DeJean was awkwardly denied by the four-time NBA Finals champ.
Cooper Dejean wanted the dap from LeBron
pic.twitter.com/5gPtksPRCV
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) January 29, 2025
DeJean’s favorite NBA team is the Lakers and he said, “I’m a LeBron fan,” so being gypped of a handshake from King James could have pained DeJean a bit.
But the former Iowa Hawkeye was unbothered afterward and seemed to shake it off.
“I didn’t really expect him to know who I was or say hi to me,” DeJean said. “It’s all good.”
James wound up commenting on the interaction — or lack thereof — saying he had previous relationships with Smith and Brown, which is why he said hello to the pair and not DeJean.
“Cooper, you’re a stud brother and best of luck in the Super Bowl,” James added.
DeJean certainly took those best wishes and ran with them, as he became the second rookie to ever return an interception for a touchdown in a Super Bowl when he picked off Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter and returned it 38 yards for the score to give the Eagles a 17-0 lead.
It was also DeJean’s 22nd birthday, making him the first player in league history to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl on his birthday.
Perhaps a meetup with James could be a belated birthday gift in Dejean’s future, as he said it’d be “pretty cool” if James were to dap him up some time down the road.
After DeJean’s Super Bowl heroics, it would be hard to go unnoticed by James again.
