At 40-years-old, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is beginning to seriously evaluate how much longer he can continue playing. Entering his 23rd season, James’ time in the NBA is expected to come to an end soon, but not just yet as he continues to play at an extremely high level.
The four-time champion is in a situation where the Lakers are transitioning to another star leading the way in Luka Doncic, which is the first time he has experienced this. Throughout his career, the Akron native is used to having front offices built around him and catering to his needs to contend for titles.
However, every star who nears retirement deals with these passing of the torches or transition periods at some point. Once James hangs it up, he needs another outlet outside of basketball and has begun playing golf this offseason.
The four-time MVP shared the reasoning he got on the green and why he fell in love with it so quickly, via Complex’s 360 With Speedy:
“It’s hard as shit, that’s exactly why. I wanted a challenge, man, and I just like being uncomfortable. There’s something that’s, it’s fun too. But it’s like golf is one of the few places where I can go, I don’t get bothered as much. I can go out on the green, me and my friends, we go out, we don’t get bothered. The only time we get bothered is when we out there being shitty and the next group behind us is like, ‘Y’all need to hurry the f— up, Y’all need to hurry the f— up.’ For sure.”
This is a common reason why NBA players tend to get into golf as it is a peaceful and stress-free sport. Obviously, as a beginner it presumably gets frustrating for a great like James to not be good at a new sport but as he mentioned, it presents a new challenge.
Lakers teammate Austin Reaves is also an avid golfer and that appears to have rubbed off the star forward, so it will be interesting to see if they get out on the course together at some point this season.
LeBron James reveals pregame superstitions
Every player has a pregame ritual and certain way they prepare for every game. LeBron James is meticulous about how he gets ready, particularly with his superstitions as he wants to make sure he is at his peak performance.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!