Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James revealed that he made some “lifestyle” changes to his diet during the offseason.
“I don’t know,” said James via Mark Medina. “But I think, first of all, being Black and understanding how heart rate and blood-pressure things run in my family, living a healthy lifestyle is very important. It’s not only to myself. But it’s about showing that to the kids and people all around. If that can translate to the game, cool. But it’s more about life.”
It’s an interesting development for the 37-year-old, especially since he is entering his 20th season in the NBA.
James has been generally healthy in his NBA career, although the last few seasons have seen him out of the lineup more than he has been before. James dealt with an ankle injury in the 2020-21 season that limited him to just 45 games, and he didn’t appear to be 100 percent when he did return.
The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns that season.
Last season, James was terrific for Los Angeles even though it failed to make the playoffs. The four-time champion averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
He nearly won the league’s scoring title in the 2021-22 season, but James played just 56 games due to various ailments including an abdominal injury he suffered early on in the season.
Since joining the Lakers, James has never played in more than 67 games in a regular season, although the 67-game season came when the league shortened the season due to COVID-19 in the 2019-20 campaign.
It’s possible that the changes to James’ diet will help him on the floor and later on in his life as he tries to remain in peak shape. He appears to be focused on making a life change that will inspire others as well.
The Lakers are going to need James to be healthy in the 2022-23 season if they want to get back to the postseason and potentially contend for an NBA title.
The team returns a few key players from last season’s roster such as Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, but it also added Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schroder, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant and others in the offseason.
There’s no doubt that James is still one of the league’s best players when he is on the floor, and that should help the Lakers compete with the class of the Western Conference.
