"Addicted!!!" – LeBron James seen refreshing himself with game of Madden a few hours after LA Lakers' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James recently took to Instagram to post a picture of himself playing a Madden NFL video game.

James' caption showed how obsessed he was with the game as he was playing it at 4:37 AM. The caption read:

"ADDICTED!!!"

John Madden, the game's namesake, died Tuesday, and there has been an outpouring of tributes from across the globe paying respects to the Hall of Fame coach and legendary sportscaster. A Super Bowl-winning coach with the Oakland Raiders in 1977, Madden was respected and revered long after he retired and made his way up to the booth to call games.

The game was known as John Madden Football until 1994 and is the only licensed NFL video game series.

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Could LeBron James have played in the NFL?

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James

LeBron James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time Finals MVP, might have had a career in the National Football League.

James, who is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, is a freak of nature who could have excelled at any sport. That's how gifted James is. His ability to keep himself in peak condition is a testament to how devoted King James has been in pursuit of greatness. He's earned the reputation of being an iron man throughout his career, which is in its 19th season.

During the 2011 lockout season in the NBA due to contract disputes between owners and players, James said he was offered contracts from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks and that he seriously considered them.

James' high school football career has been well documented and is something of a legend. James, who played wide receiver, has said he would have seriously considered a career in football if he had a better quarterback in high school.

Whether James could have thrived in the NFL is a different discussion altogether as basketball and football are two different sports. Just because he is a great athlete on the court doesn't necessarily mean he would have been able to recreate that level of success on the football field. After all, James, who turned 37 on Thursday, is third all-time in scoring in the NBA, with 36,038 points.

But the fact that two teams in the NFL, the Cowboys and the Seahawks offered him a legitimate contract is remarkable. Either way, he did pretty well by sticking to the NBA.