Transcript: Odell Beckham

WR Odell Beckham Jr.
December 4, 2014

Q: What was more exciting, winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for November or your dinner with LeBron James last night?
A: Probably dinner. He is my favorite athlete. Just to be able to meet him and to be able to talk to him and him being able to share some words was a good time.

Q: How did that come together?
A: It just kind of happened.

Q: Did they reach out to you?
A: Yeah, we just reached out and it ended up we got in touch and made it happen.

Q: What did you think when you heard from him?
A: [He] didn’t text me or anything like that. I was talking to his marketing people and he told me to come to dinner and I went and had a good time.

Q: Did you convert him to a Giants fan?
A: I don’t know if you can convert him, but it was fun.

Q: Were you star-struck?
A: I don’t know. I know that he is definitely my favorite athlete. It was very surreal to be able to meet LeBron.

Q: When the conversation was going on, was it a conversation between two pro athletes or a conversation between a fan and a superstar?
A: I don’t know. I still look at him as LeBron James. He is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Q: About your Rookie of the Month award… That is the first professional award of any type that you have won. What does that mean to you?
A: It means a lot. I have been through a lot and put in a lot of hard work and I have gotten some opportunities to make some plays and I appreciate whoever voted and gave me the award.

Q: You played with that LSU quarterback who you will see on the other sideline on Sunday [Titans QB Zach Mettenberger]… Could you give us a little bit of an understanding of what he is about as a quarterback?
A: He is as tough as they come. He is going to sit back there and take all those hits. He is going to step into it and he is going to make the throws. I loved having him as a quarterback being a guy who is out there talking and things like that. He is going to be a great one.

Q: How would you like to be a [defensive back] and pick off one of his passes?
A: I would love to. I would probably get a flag because I would taunt him if I got a pick-six. Hopefully one of these guys [pointing to the defense backs] can do it for me.

Q: Damontré [Moore] was saying [Mettenberger] is a trash-talker?
A: Oh yeah… He is a trash-talker, for sure. That is part of the game though. Everybody talks trash. Everybody has their own variation of it. It is just different when you are hearing it coming from your quarterback like that.

Q: Eli [Manning] is like that?
A: [Laughs] Eli is not a trash-talker. That is just not him.

Q: We have asked you this before about the success you’re having and the attention you got from the catch. Now you win this award and had dinner with LeBron James… Does it get more and more surreal as this goes on?
A: It is just everything I have ever dreamed of, really. All those days you go into work and you are putting in work it is for moments like this. You definitely take it for what it is and keep progressing each and every day.

Q: At any point during dinner, did [James] say anything that surprised you in terms of him actually paying attention to your play?
A: He talked about the play and wanted to see how big my hand was. For that to be my favorite athlete and to be able to sit down as civilized people and have dinner and conversation, it was nice.

Q: How big is your hand to his?
A: It is about the same. His thumb may be bigger than mine.

Q: Do you think he could have made the catch?
A: Yeah, oh yeah. It is LeBron. He can do it all.

Q: Who was more excited… You or him?
A: Me, for sure. I definitely think it was me.

Q: Where did you have dinner?
A: Carbone’s. It was Italian food.

Q: When did you know you would be meeting him?
A: It was spontaneous. It was all within a couple day span.

Q: What did he say to you?
A: Just general conversation. Advice about how to be successful. Nothing specific.

Q: Did you pick up the tab?
A: Oh no, I couldn’t….

Q: [Cincinnati Bengals RB] Jeremy Hill tweeted the other day asking how your LSU teams ever lost a game with you, [Jarvis] Landry, Hill and Mettenberger…
A: Execution. That’s all it is. Just come downs to executing. Personally, I think if I could go back in time and change things, I think we definitely should have won at least one national championship.

Q: In terms of the talent, does it even surprise you that you are all having success right now?
A: No, it doesn’t surprise me at all. Jeremy is probably one of the best backs I have been around and as far as Jarvis, I could speak on him for days. They are both going to be great players.

Q: Jarvis told a story the other day about [Arizona Cardinals DB] Tyrann Mathieu where he was supposed to guard you and then he ripped his shirt off afterwards… Do you remember that?
A: It was our freshman year and I remember going against Tyrann and it was one-on-ones and there are no refs out there, so you can really do whatever you want. I ran a route and he grabbed me at like 12 yards and held me up and didn’t let me catch the ball or anything like that. I remember him ripping his shirt off and everybody screaming and stuff. I was like, ‘No, line up again right now.’ I remember being so mad after practice, I went back out after everybody left and I was running routes. I definitely don’t like that.

Q: Was basketball something you ever considered for a pro career?
A: I really considered them all. To get recognition in basketball and offers and scholarships, you have to do a lot more than football. You have to go to camps and all those big name camps. It was something that I didn’t really have time for, so I think football came the easiest to me.

Q: How is your jump shot?
A: I have a nice little shot.

Q: Do you want to play LeBron one-on-one?
A: Yeah, any day… Football or basketball, it doesn’t matter what it is.

Q: Did he give any business advice or ideas?
A: As far as business goes, he was just saying you have to handle what you are here to do and that is play football. Everything else will come with it. If you are not handling what you need to be doing, then it is going to make everything else a lot harder. First and foremost, handle your business.