The sheer impressiveness of LeBron James continuing to do what he does on a basketball court at age 41, after 23 NBA seasons, shouldn’t be undersold.
King James is now headed to another appearance in the playoffs and will face one of his longtime NBA rivals. The Lakers finished fourth in the NBA standings, yielding a matchup against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
It’s likely to draw plenty of attention from viewers to see if LeBron can take down KD with his newest team. Unfortunately for the Lakers star, he’ll be without the team’s top options, as Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic both went out with injuries within the past several weeks.
While LeBron has had time off earlier this season due to various injuries, he’s now preparing for a series in which his team is considered the underdog despite having home-court advantage. However, that doesn’t mean he’s taking anything lightly with his preparation.
One might think that after 23 years, LeBron has lightened the load when it comes to his workouts and staying in shape, as he knows he’s in the tail end of his career.
However, that’s made those aspects of his life even more important, and there doesn’t appear to be any slacking on his part.
On Wednesday evening, he shared a social media post featuring several unique photos of himself shirtless in the gym while putting in work on a bike.
“Tired is only in the mind,” he wrote as his message, showing his ongoing commitment to maintaining peak physical conditioning for his chosen profession.
A Business Insider report shed light on the massive amount he spends on his health to ensure he can stay at the level he’s at. Based on the report, he devotes $1.5 million to various aspects of his health, including diet, fitness, and recovery.
Interestingly, his recent X post, which could be seen either as inspiration for others or as a warning to opponents, comes as his team faces a major battle in the postseason.
The Lakers defeated Houston twice in the regular season, but that was a much different roster with key players healthy. Without Reaves and Doncic, Durant’s Rockets are large favorites to win the first-round series, despite the Los Angeles Lakers having LeBron, the higher seed, and hosting it.
If Doncic and Reaves had been able to suit up, it might be a different story. Instead, King James will be shouldering the majority of the weight of this Lakers team in their absence, and it appears he’s fully preparing himself to carry that burden.
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