LeBron James reveals the secret behind his massive performance vs. the Kings

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

LeBron James had a vintage performance on Saturday to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Sacramento Kings 131-127 and win their third straight game to start the season. He credited three things he did to maintain his health — sleep, hydration and nutrition — for his outstanding outing.

James scored 32 points and also had 14 rebounds and 10 assists as Los Angeles came back after trailing to start the fourth quarter to beat the Kings. The performance was the best of the season so far for James after he was solid but not particularly dominant in L.A.’s previous two games.

He played just about as well as any man could in that fourth quarter, as he hung 16 points, six assists and five rebounds while making every shot he attempted from the field and from deep. He was a major reason L.A. scored 21 unanswered points to swing the contest in its favor.

At age 39, James remains one of the best basketball players in the world, and no NBA player has ever played at this type of level at his age. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game last season, and when one considers how dedicated he is to his health and fitness, it may not be too surprising given the otherworldly athleticism and strength the universe gifted him with.

Getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, having proper nutrition and staying hydrated help people age gracefully, and aging gracefully is exactly what the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been doing.

With a 3-0 record, the Lakers already look like a different team under new head coach J.J. Redick than they did last season under Darvin Ham, his predecessor. They’re playing more unselfishly on offense, and Redick has made sure the team has been adequately prepared not only to play but also to win.

They will start a five-game road trip on Monday against the Phoenix Suns, a team they downed on Saturday, 123-116, after falling behind by as many as 22 points. Los Angeles may need to keep seeing some youthful energy and play from James to improve its record to 4-0.