The Coronado Springs Resort at Disney World, epicenter of the “bubble environment” where many of the NBA’s players are lodging for the foreseeable future as the league prepares to reboot the 2019-20 season, has long offered spa services. Heck, a 50-minute Swedish massage can be had for the low, low price of just $115.
Someone alert Lakers star LeBron James. It was reported on Thursday, after all, that James is roughing it during his time in Orlando, which could wind up being a three-month stint if his Lakers land in the NBA Finals. According to TNT’s Chris Haynes, James did not bring his personal masseuse to Central Florida. He also left his chef back home in Los Angeles.
“LeBron is switching things up,” Haynes said on TNT on Thursday. “He is doing things a little bit differently. Now, he’s not having—I was told, sources told me—he has not brought along his personal chef, his personal masseuse, his extended security team. He wants to make sure he going through all the rigors of his teammates on this campus to make sure he is blending in and going through everything that they’re experiencing.”
.@ChrisBHaynes joins #NBAonTNT to give an update from the NBA campus in Orlando.
NBA Rules Would Make it Tough to Bring Personal Attendants to the ‘Bubble’
The eschewing of those luxuries could be seen as a sign that James is sharpening his focus as he tries to lead his team to what would be his 10th NBA Finals and, potentially, his fourth league championship.
More accurately, though, it could be seen as James sticking to NBA rules, which limited the traveling parties of each team to 35 people and don’t allow players to have outside guests until after the first round of the playoffs in mid-August. It is also would be tough to be a personal chef operating in a hotel room with no ingredients, no stove, and not a pan in sight.
But James is preaching focus. Before the Lakers’ first practice, he told reporters:
I’m just taking it all in. For me, I’m all about the process. I’m here for one goal and one goal only and that’s to win a championship. That’s to get better every single day. That’s my mindset. My mindset is to do that on the floor. My mindset off the floor is to continue to give education, continue to give guidance to my communities and communities around the world, in the inner city about how important our voice is, how important we are, and creating change.
That is my main focus. I’m here to do nothing else besides that—play the game at high level, bring a championship back to L.A. hopefully and also continue to push the envelope on creating change for my people.
LeBron James Missing Family in Orlando
James did express his sadness when leaving Los Angeles to go to Florida this week, having had the first spring at home with his family during his NBA career—and even before that. His sadness was not for his personal chef, however, but for his family. James and his wife, Savannah Brinson, have three children, LeBron Jr. (who is 13), Bryce (who is 13) and Zhuri (who is 5).
Just left the crib to head to the bubble. Shit felt like I’m headed to do a bid man! Fr. Hated to leave the #JamesGang👑.
“For the first time since I was maybe 12 or 13, I had that much downtime without playing basketball or not knowing when we were going to get back on the floor,” James said. “It gave me an opportunity to be home, make up a lot of time that I have lost over the years because I have been playing in this league, striving to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest to ever play in this league.
“Leaving Thursday, leaving my family, leaving my kids, leaving my wife, was very challenging. Very emotional at the same time.”
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No Masseuse? No Personal Chef? Lakers’ LeBron James Roughing it in NBA Bubble