Odell Beckham Jr. imitates LeBron in TD celebration

CLEVELAND -- When in Cleveland, do as LeBron would do.

That's the approach New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.took when he reached the end zone in the second half of Sunday's 27-13 victoryover the Cleveland Browns. Beckham twice imitated his friend LeBron James to celebrate scores, complete with the chalk toss.

Beckham first did the celebration made famous by the Cleveland Cavaliers star after a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. But that score was negated by a penalty.

So when Beckham scored a 4-yard touchdown with 5 minutes,15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he did it again.

"I guess you've got to do LeBron twice. It's his city," Beckham said after finishing with 6 catches for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first-career game in Cleveland. "So it's just great. I told him, 'Hey, I got something for you if I get the chance to score.'"

Beckham had plenty of opportunities to celebrate Sunday, even after he left the game temporarily with a thumb injury. He reached the end zone three times, including the punt return score that was called back.

Beckham and James have been friends for years, even though the NBA star has made it well known that he is aDallas Cowboys fan. They met for dinner not long after Beckham made his famous one-handed touchdown catch during his rookie season in 2014.

The friendship has grown since, with Beckham developing a strong bond with James' business partner, Maverick Carter. The trio connected for an early-morning workout in Los Angeles in the offseason.

So it wasn't a surprise to see Beckham pull out something LeBron-related in Cleveland. Beckham did his homage to James even though he knew the punt return touchdown was likely to be called back.

"The punter told me," Beckham said. "I told him I didn't really care. I still returned it on you. But it was a joking conversation.

"He was like, 'Nah, don't celebrate. It got called back.' I was like, 'I'm still gonna do it. I still ran it back on you.'

"It was fun being out there and having an opportunity to get your hand on the ball and make some plays for this team."