LeBron James laughs at a press conferenceLeBron James laughs during questions from the press at the Los Angeles Lakers media day on September 26, 2022 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)


Those watching Thursday’s World Cup battle between Switzerland and Cameroon probably found themselves doing a double-take when Cameroonian forward Byron Mbeumo made an appearance on their television screens.

During their 1-0 loss to the Swiss, there were a couple of moments where we couldn’t help but wonder whether number 20 in the green Cameroon jersey was actually LeBron James.

The resemblance is uncanny.

This obviously isn’t LeBron… Or is it? After seeing his doppelgänger, LeBron left open the possibility that perhaps this DOES explain why he’s been out the past few games.

LeBron wasn’t the only one reacting to his lookalike. Several others took to Twitter to express their disbelief:

The 2022-23 season is shaping up to be another rough campaign for LeBron James and the Lakers. With a 5-11 record, they currently find themselves in second-last place in the Western Conference. As for LeBron himself, he’s been out the last five games with a groin injury…or because he’s been playing in the World Cup in Qatar.

To be honest, I don’t even know what to believe anymore.