"It can get real ugly" - LeBron James compares Tom Brady's return to Patriots to his Cleveland homecoming

Tom Brady's return to Gillette Stadium is getting closer and, as the days wind down, the coverage begins to intensify. It seems that everyone is talking about Tom Brady playing against the New England Patriots, a team he won six Super Bowls with and spent the first 20 years of his career.

While the game is a sellout and there is sure to be some type of tribute to Tom Brady ahead of the game, there's another professional athlete who knows exactly what it feels like to return to a place that you once called home and everything that goes with it.

NBA star LeBron James knows what Tom Brady's return will feel like

NBA champion LeBron James was a guest on ESPN's alternate Monday night broadcast, the "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli MegaCast". Peyton and Eli Manning's version of Monday Night Football has become one of the most talked about aspects of the 2021 NFL season, with other NFL players and professional athletes lining up to be guests.

James spoke about how he knows what Tom Brady is feeling ahead of his return. James said that when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat, he had a similar experience.

In 2010, he returned to Cleveland as a member of the Heat and talked about the experience as a whole.

"It was rough. I got no sleep the night before. I already knew the adversity and how crazy it was going to be," James said.

LeBron James then went on to speak about how Brady should already know how passionate the New England Patriots fans are after playing for them for two decades.

"I know Tom's done so many great things down there in Foxborough, down there with the Patriots. But they're gonna root for who they root for, and you know they root for the Pats. It can get real ugly," James added.

"You gotta go in there and quiet the crowd like I was able to do that night of Dec. 2, 2010."

When Tom Brady takes the field on Sunday night in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform, he should expect to be greeted with cheers and boos, according to LeBron James. Sunday night's matchup is sure to be one filled with emotion for both Tom Brady as well as the New England Patriots fans.