LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are just about two weeks away from game play that they hope will result in a championship.
While this season is unlike anything the NBA has ever seen, winning the title will feel the same, if not all the more challenging. Players have had to make incredible sacrifices to be a part of it, packing up and heading to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for upwards of three months.
This is especially true for James, who left behind a number of personal luxuries that he’s been able to afford after an all-time great career. People like his personal chef and masseuse did not make the trip to Orlando with James, and while that could be due to the limitations on travel party size, it’s reported that James made the decision on his own.
James wanted to go through the same things as the rest of his team, and not have luxuries that go beyond what his teammates have, citing it as a “we’re all in this together” attitude, according to Chris Haynes via TNT:
“LeBron is switching things up. On the campus he’s doing things a little bit different. Sources told me he has not brought along his personal chef, his personal masseuse, nor has he brought over his extended security team. He wants to make sure he’s going through all the (same) rigors of his teammates on this campus to make sure he’s blending in and going through everything they’re experiencing.
“LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Quinn Cook, at times I’ve seen them roaming the campus, just walking along and getting a bonding period. LeBron James is clearly trying to send a message that ‘we’re all in this together.’ That is one his forms of trying to show he’s out there with them doing the same thing they’re doing and he’s eating the same exact food.”
While it sounds a bit absurd to commend James for going three months without a personal chef and masseuse — things that a majority of people will never even experience — it does speak to his commitment to the bubble.
James has had these benefits for years now, and he’s earned them, but being willing to give them up shows that he wants to be fighting the same battle as his teammates. Things like eating the same food, getting the same care, and being in the same places as teammates like Quinn Cook and Anthony Davis shows that he doesn’t want special treatment.
LeBron James, Quinn Cook, and Anthony Davis draw a crowd on NBA 2K20
Part of James’ commitment to bubble life and his teammates came with having the same leisure as them, and that includes video games.
James, Davis, and Cook caused chaos for the 2K servers when they joined The Neighborhood on NBA 2K20. Cook was live streaming the three Lakers players on the game and drew a sizable crowd as other players were able to locate them via Cook’s stream.
Video games are a great way to kill time, and when everyone is quarantined in their hotel rooms, it’s the perfect thing to do.
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