TITLE: LeBron James says pickup games with Michael Jordan shaped his lifelong focus on preparation
SLUG: lebron-james-jordan-preparation-longevity
CONTENT:
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said his commitment to meticulous preparation began long before he entered the NBA, tracing it back to pickup games with Michael Jordan while he was still in high school.
Speaking with Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the 41-year-old All-Star explained that realizing talent alone would not guarantee a lengthy career pushed him to prioritize conditioning and routine. “I didn’t want to have no six- or seven-year career,” James said. “I can’t become legendary in six or seven years. I always had a mission.”
That mission crystallized after a series of formative experiences: running full-court with Jordan in Chicago as a sophomore and scrimmaging against the Cleveland Cavaliers as a junior. “If I get the opportunity to crack the league, the only thing that can stop me is if I don’t take care of my body,” he recalled. “I did take care of my body. That’s it.”
The payoff remains evident. Earlier this week, James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, extending a career that began in 2003 and already includes four championships and four MVP awards.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who faced James as both a player and coach, said the veteran’s durability is as much mental as physical. “He’s always prepared himself for the marathon,” Kidd noted. “He’s won championships, he’s been MVP, he’s been the face of the league. And he still loves the competition.”
That passion, James believes, is sustained by the habits he adopted decades ago—habits first sharpened alongside a basketball icon in a Chicago gym.
Source: Hoops Wire
