It is no easy task for anyone, not only an athlete, to maintain a physique and remain in shape throughout the year, with the difficulty only increasing with age! Breaking all the norms, LeBron James remains a prominent example of how he’s kept his physical health far from degradation even at 39. He continues to dominate by leading the offense for the Lakers and at the moment as a key contributor on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

All of this is possible only with strict exercise but also a diet plan. After all, if you want to continue serving as the oldest player in the NBA and still rank as No. 9 on ESPN’s Top 100 Player Rankings, you would have to go the extra mile, wouldn’t you?

LeBron James realized this early on, causing him to start spending over $1.5 million/year just to take care of his body. While his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson had stated over half a decade ago that King James has “the worst f**king diet ever”, it has weirdly proved nothing but beneficial for the Laker!

Therefore, without any further delay, let us look into how the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer has handled what goes into his mouth.

What does a typical ‘LeBron James diet plan’ look like?

Meal Prep for a Game Day

If there is one thing clear about the NBA player, it is that he is not that indulgent with fast food. Things were different when he was young, however, as LeBron once stated, “I ate McDonald’s my first couple years in the NBA. I didn’t stretch. It didn’t matter. I was 18 and I could do whatever I wanted to.” Now, despite having shared a long-term partnership with brands like McDonald’s and Blaze Pizza, their food certainly would be a part of his cheat day palette, but not that of his daily one.

LeBron James provided a deep outlook into his diet regime in an interview with Men’s Health back in November 2021. It was from there that readers got to know that he had cut out sugar, dairy, and carbs from consumption for over 67 days.

Instead, he chose to focus simply on meat, fish, veggies, and fruit. To provide him with the required carbs before an important, he would take some pasta along with a chicken breast. A protein shake and a specific fruit also went a long way in providing him with the required energy.

“So, the sugars I kinda cut out, but the carbs I kinda ramp up. Because you’re losing so many calories, you’re burning so many calories, burning all your energy throughout those game,” LeBron James said. “So, I kinda go heavy on the carbs because it gives you energy. It’s worked for me.”

By 2018, when he was 34-35, King James had a strict diet plan that he followed before game day. Revealing the same during an appearance on ‘The Tim Ferris Show’, the details of the same included:

Breakfast: Egg white omelet, smoked salmon, gluten-free pancakes

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta, along with vegetables and salmon

Pre-Game: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Halftime: Apple slices along with almond Butter

Post-Game: A simple protein shake (usually a plant-based one, made out of fruit, almond milk, and protein powder)

Dinner: Chicken parmesan, arugula Salad, and, to indulge in a treat, the occasional glass of cabernet.

During the player’s 67-day restricted period, he would also take up meals like a lobster salad with asparagus and mango chutney when the arugula salad may have become too repetitive. Dessert was certainly out of the question, as seen when he reportedly refused one that a resort had specially made for him during a vacation period in Greece.

Now, however, LeBron would occasionally have some wine or chocolate cookies with ice cream after a meal. On one occasion, LeBron James compared his diet plan with that of renowned swimmer Michael Phelps, who himself consumes pancakes, pizzas, and omelets in huge quantities. The only difference was that the basketball star would indulge in the same after a game, and not before it.

Cheat Day Diet

It would be almost impossible for any individual on the planet to keep eating healthy. Once in a while, there is a need for that sweet release of freedom where one can consume what they like, how much they like. Therefore, similarly to other well-built individuals like Dwyane Johnson, LeBron James has a cheat day diet in place, along with certain exceptions to the self-imposed restrictions.

In an interview with ESPN, he revealed that he consumes wine “pretty much every day.” The same was confirmed by his former teammate Kevin Lowe, who believes that LeBron has “a supercomputer in his brain” when it comes to the drink.

The belief behind indulging in the same, in King James’ own words, is “I’ve heard it’s good for the heart. Listen, I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”

A junk-food consumption day would mostly see a pizza on the table, more specifically a ‘Blaze Pizza’ which the 4-time NBA champion has been tied up with for quite some time. Back in 2016, LeBron took to Instagram to share pics of a DIY Pizza he ordered. The monstrosity contained over 16 toppings and varied from fresh basil and turkey meatballs to banana peppers and kalamata olives!

Staying consistent with the eating restrictions is what has allowed LeBron James to remain at the top of the field despite being just a few months shy of his 40 birthday. Everything that has been mentioned above, however, covers details of what the player and his trainer have revealed about his diet. When it comes to one of his former teammates, however, the story changes completely on its axis!

Tristan Thompson once provided a different picture of LeBron’s diet: “Eats like sh*t”

In an interview with ‘The Athletic’ over 4 years ago, 2016 NBA champion Tristan Thompson touched base on LeBron James’s diet. Even though it had been over two years since the duo last played as teammates, he highlighted that LeBron had the “worst f**king diet ever. Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like 5 french toast, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas. Then he has like a 4-egg omelette and then he goes and just f–king dunks on somebody. It doesn’t make sense,” said Thompson.

“He eats desserts with every meal. He’ll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn’t make sense. He’s really a specimen. He eats like sh*t. I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn’t work out. I started gaining weight and said, ‘F**k this.’ I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It’s crazy how his body just burns it.”

The 20x NBA All-Star indulging in pancakes and omelets was certainly covered earlier. However, Thompson’s remarks on desserts would bring LeBron’s earlier statements into question. After all, this was the same person who once stated that he avoided soft drinks and fried food. As Thompson highlighted, even if LeBron James consumed food the way he specified, it did not weigh him down!According to Kyle Korver, Bron once came out on top during a team cardio relay challenge on a Versaclimber, while the former almost threw up on the sideline!

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.