Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has single-handedly redefined how long a superstar player can be productive in the NBA.
In Year 23, James was named an All-Star which is a testament to how well he takes care of himself both physically and mentally. Fellow superstar peers like Nikola Jokic acknowledge James as a legendary figure in league history
Although James was forced to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season due to sciatica issue, he has ramped back up to full speed and has allowed the Lakers to at least dream of competing for a championship.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown has seen up close and personal the amount of work James does behind the scenes to stay in tip-top condition. Brown went so far to say that he thinks LeBron can play forever because of his body maintenance.
“He’s such a phenomenal athlete. I don’t know, and I don’t know everybody out there, but I don’t know anybody that takes care of their body better than he does and he just seems like he could play forever,” Brown said of James before Sunday afternoon’s game. “Crazy part for me is when you see players that you’ve coached and then their kids are playing in the NBA that’s a little freaky for me because it tells me I’m old but then when I go to the bathroom I shave all my gray hairs off so it helps me believe I’m not that old.
“But his son playing in the NBA is just mind-blowing and that impacts me more than him retiring. I think he could play forever. That’s just my personal opinion. I know he won’t, but the shape that he is in and how he takes care of his body is just amazing.”
As Brown noted, James is widely considered to be the gold standard when it comes to staying in shape and making sure he is recovering properly. Not only does James put in countless hours on the court working on skills, he also does his fair share off of it to put himself into positions where he can still help a team win basketball games.
Retirement is just around the corner for James, so it’ll be interesting to see how his storied career ultimately ends.
LeBron James opens up about legacy ahead of eventual retirement
LeBron James will go down as arguably the greatest basketball player ever, but when it comes to his legacy he admitted he wants to be remembered as someone that didn’t cheat the game and put the time in to be great.
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