The life and career of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is truly something that no one will ever witness or experience ever again. From being the most hyped prospect in the history of basketball, if not American sports period, to joining the NBA at 18 and surpassing those wild expectations, and now still being an excellent player at a stage of his career that no one else has even reached, 23 years in the league.
As is the case with any human being, the person James is now is not the same person he was at 18 years old. Every person can look back at their life and wish they knew things then that they know now and LeBron is no different. And the Lakers star recently opened up about what advice he would give his younger self if he could.
“It’s a lot of advice I would give him. I would just say keep the main thing the main thing,” James said on his 41st birthday. “Work hard. There’s no substitute for hard work. Hard work and dedication, if you want to be great, is going to pay off. Keep the blinders on. As much as they praise you, it’s even triple, quadruple of people trying to bring you down and want to tear you down every single day. Protect your family. Protect your mental space. That’s a lot more. Just go out and have fun. Enjoy the ride because you never know when it comes to an end. It goes fast.”
There are a lot of basic principles in those words that anybody can apply to their life. Working hard constantly, protecting your family and mental space are important things for anyone to embrace, and especially so for someone like LeBron who has had a microscope on his life unlike anyone else since the age of 18.
Perhaps the advice older James would give to his younger self might have made some things easier on him. But it is hard to imagine anyone being placed in the position LeBron was at his age, and handling it any better than he did as he is truly a one-of-a-kind player and human being.
LeBron James won’t use injuries as excuse for Lakers struggles
As it currently stands, James is still committed to trying help this Lakers team be a true contender, but injuries to numerous players throughout the season has hindered this team, especially as of late. But LeBron is refusing to use that as an excuse for their recent struggles.
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