When EA Sports announced the return of their college football game after more than a decade, Deion Sanders was among the first to react. “Wow, it’s really happening. I got so many darn ideas,” he wrote on X. He even suggested a partnership with the company: “EA Sports, we do business.” Who would’ve thought that after this and rumors of Coach Prime being on the cover, he wouldn’t even make it into the game? But that wasn’t even the biggest snub of all.

Seeing as it’s been 11 years since NCAA Football 14 came out, there’s no question that college football fans in their 30s and 40s – who grew up playing the yearly editions of the game – are as excited as could be. And who is smack dab in the middle of those fans? NBA legend LeBron James. Just as Coach Prime showed his excitement after the announcement, so did James. He tweeted, “LET’S GOOOOOOO!!!!!! O-H 🌰🌰” with a GIF of Ohio State flags. It’s safe to say he was looking forward to July 19 coming around. Turns out, he didn’t need to wait that long. But Coach Prime will have to…

With game releases comes early access. And although LeBron James got it, the Sanders family, apparently, didn’t. Yes, after not making the game’s cover, at least Shedeur Sanders’ signature ‘wrist-watch’ celebration style made it into the game. But as for his father, after EA Sports didn’t include him in the game (because no coaches made it), the fact that he didn’t get early access made it all the worse. This left Buffaloes fans scratching their heads – why did LeBron James get preferential treatment over Deion Sanders, who’s a top-tier NCAA coach and also happens to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer?

Adding insult to injury, Coach Prime’s eldest son, Deion Sanders Jr, went on a rant on X. “Hey, man. I ain’t tryna say nothing, ain’t tryna be messy. LeBron’s playing NCAA 25. They ain’t give you a copy, though!” Deion Jr clearly felt his father got hard done by EA Sports. He added, “I ain’t say nothing, but I won’t let nobody treat me like that, you know what I’m saying? I won’t let them ‘lil’ bro’ me like that… That’s just me, though! I’ve been asking for the game.”

That said, while EA Sports may not have shown Coach Prime the love he showed them, LeBron James sure did. The LA Lakers star is a video game buff. He always has been. So when EA Sports sent him a copy of the game, he tried it out the first chance he got. And it seemed like he was impressed when he called Kai Cenat to talk about the game. The streamer, who also got early access, asked James who his go-to team was. He replied, “Colorado or Ohio State.”

The Ohio State mention was expected. Born in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James spent his formative years there. That was until he graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and went straight to the NBA. While he never got a college degree, it’s not unreasonable to say that attending Ohio State would’ve been a potential college option for him.

As for the Colorado mention, it may be because of James’ connection to Deion Sanders. Their support for each other over the past few years is proof of the mutual respect between these two legends!

LeBron James and Coach Prime show respect for each other

This summer, Deion Sanders partnered with Nike to launch a series of Air Max DT 96 shoes in classic Buffaloes colors. But the real head-turner was a special red edition – LeBron James’ tribute to Coach Prime! This “LeBron 21 ‘Prime Year’” shoe, based on Deion’s design, features LeBron’s signature red colorway. Now, it’s a clear sign of the love LeBron has for the NFL legend.

And the love goes both ways. Recently, an online meme took a jab at the 39-year-old NBA star, showing how he’s past his prime and struggling to attract free agents. Soon, Coach Prime donned his ‘big bro’ hat, responding with a firm “This AIN’T right!” on his X handle.

While EA Sports might have caused a stir with their early access choices, it seems this minor snub won’t affect the strong bond between these two legends. With Coach Prime defending LeBron online and LeBron hyping up Deion’s team with a mention he might play as them in the game, it seems like a genuine display of sportsmanship and camaraderie. But, hey, EA Sports could’ve done a better job with those early access copies, don’t you think?