Getty Lakers superstar LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James went viral with his latest move.
James is in Italy with his wife and friends, but that didn’t stop the four-time MVP from working out and preparing his body for the 2022-23 season.
James takes great care of his body. The Lakers star has never suffered an injury during his Hall of Fame career that required surgery and he is still one of the strongest and most dominant players in the NBA despite being 37 going on 38.
James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season in 56 starts. The four-time Finals MVP shot 52.4% from the field, 35.9% from beyond the arc and 75.6% from the free-throw line. James scored 50 or more points two times, highlighted by a season-high 56 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 5th.
The Lakers were a walking disaster last season despite James putting up brilliant numbers. They missed the playoffs after having the second-best preseason odds to win the championship. Frank Vogel was fired as head coach and replaced by Darvin Ham, who will be the fourth former player to coach James.
LeBron has played for Paul Silas, Tyronn Lue and Luke Walton during his storied career, winning the 2016 championship with Lue on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron Is Ready for Next Season
On June 13th, James posted a picture of himself yelling and flexing on his Instagram story with the caption, “Yeah I know I’m a lunatic to the grind!” The All-Star swingman also published a second story on a black screen with the caption, “MAN I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE FALL! SO READY TO GET BACK OUT THERE! SO MOTIVATED.”
LeBron is ready for next season. 😤
James signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers on August 18th. The extension has a 15% trade kicker and made James the highest-earning player in NBA history with $532 million in guaranteed money, surpassing Brooklyn Nets wing Kevin Durant.
James’ extension includes a player option for the 2024-25 season. The one-time assists champion has played in 223 out of a possible 307 regular-season games since joining the Lakers in 2018, averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists. James, the only player in NBA history to rank top 10 all-time in points and assists, led the purple and gold to their 17th championship in franchise history in 2020. LBJ averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the 2020 Finals against the Miami Heat, taking home his fourth Finals MVP.
Since winning the championship in 2020, the Lakers have lost in the first round of the playoffs and failed to qualify for the play-in tournament. However, James is reportedly “extremely happy” in Los Angeles, according to a July 29th report from NBA insider Marc Stein.
How Many More Years Will LeBron Play?
During an extensive interview with Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated in August, James said he “could play for quite a while.” The Akron Hammer turns 38 in December.
“I feel like I could play for quite a while. So it’s all up to the body, but more importantly, my mind,” James said. “If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even the limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”
James has already teased Lakers fans this summer. He played in the Drew League on July 16th and finished with 42 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three assists. The King is 1,326 points away from passing Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.