No athlete has taken care of their body as well as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who at the age of 40 remains one of the best players in the NBA.
Not only does James continue to demonstrate greatness 22 years in his career, but he also has avoided serious injuries to be able to keep playing at this level.
A big reason for that is James taking his offseason training seriously, getting his mind and body for the season ahead. He discussed the importance of that during a live taping of “The Shop” at Fanatics Fest in New York, via Fanatics:
“I think the offseason builds towards those championships and builds to the accomplishments that you wanna have throughout the course of the season. I’ve never wanted to put myself in a position where I came into a season unprepared. I’ve always used the offseason to critique my game more than anybody. There’s not a coach, an analyst, there’s not anybody in the world that can critique my game or critique the way I want to prepare better than myself. The offseason is all about retooling, being uncomfortable… That’s good, that’s great for you, being comfortable being uncomfortable. The offseason, when I won the four championships and I’ve had memorable seasons or whatever the case may be, and even when I’ve lost the championship, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t prepared. I was always prepared and I think it started in the offseason.”
James also knows that the offseason is the only time he can focus on himself and how he can get better individually:
“When you’re during the season, obviously you’re around your guys. You guys are building towards one common goal and that’s to ultimately hoist the Lombardi Trophy or the Larry O’Brien Trophy, that is the goal. But the offseason is where you get the opportunity to actually do more like looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing ways that you can be better. Your teammates ain’t with you that much in the offseason. You will get with them at some points throughout the offseason and you guys are running routes or working on timing or you guys are in the gym working on things. But most of the time is obviously spent with family, but also for yourself. You have to design yourself to how am I going to be great and put yourself in the most simulated moments possible to when those moments come during the season, postseason, big games, three in four nights… That type of shit, you have to be able to prepare yourself in the offseason for those moments.”
James is currently preparing for his 23rd NBA season and despite turning 41 later this year, he is likely approaching his workouts with the same intensity that he did at the beginning of his career. That is what separates LeBron from so many other great athletes and is a big reason why he will go down as arguably the greatest athlete ever from a longevity perspective.
Tom Brady gives LeBron James his flowers
Maybe the only athlete who knows what it feels like to be as successful as LeBron James late into his career is Tom Brady, who played 23 seasons and won seven Super Bowls.
Brady took his offseason training just as seriously as James and recently gave flowers to the Lakers star for being the greatest ever because of it.
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