“He’s unbelievable. I saw the dedication to his body firsthand. His greatness comes from his work, really, on his body”. Even if 2x NBA champion Shane Battier had not made the following remarks, we would still be in awe of the human specimen that is LeBron James. At 40 years of age, the Los Angeles Lakers star has set a benchmark for longevity that hasn’t been touched before, and might not be touched again for generations. He goes strong even after having spent 22 years in the NBA, adding on to his already unbelievable minutes and other records. Just like Tommy Shelby, LeBron James is someone who has “no limits”. While everyone else is thinking about his retirement from basketball, the man himself is keeping those thoughts at the back of his mind. Very back.

In the aftermath of the Lakers’ recent 94-85 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James participated in the customary Q&A session. As the session progressed, a reporter asked the player whether his body ever feels the strain of having to go through the playoffs again. LeBron replied by tooting his own horn first (hehe), highlighting how he holds the top ranks in terms of most minutes in playoff history, the number of games, the number of playoff series, etc.

Using them as a benchmark, he replied, “I’m 40 years old. I’m a year 22. I’ve been in the postseason well over half of my career. You know, I listen to the body, but it’s about taking care of what I can take care of. Control of what I can control, and that’s about getting sleep, getting, you know, the right food in me. And, keeping my mind sharp.”

LeBron continues working hard to ensure that he has an athletic body even at his advanced age (remember the $1.5 million he dedicates to just this?). Given all this hard work, why would he wish to let it go in vain by giving up sooner than he wants to? Or rather, needs to?

“Obviously, the body will do what the body do, but you know, as long as the mind is in tune, and I believe that, you know, you can take it even further,” said LeBron. “So, I’m just trying to get my teammates what I got offensively, but more importantly, defensively, going down there, helping rebound and crash in, being physical. Also being able to use my mind to be able to call out a lot of things that teams were doing, so we can be up, you know, ahead of a lot of plays as well, so we’re not surprised by a lot of things”.

The 4x NBA champion does more than just getting the right amount of sleep and food to keep his physique at the level at which it is right now. As mentioned above, a part of LeBron James’ $1.5 million a year goes to a biohacking regime. As highlighted by an X user back in November 2024, the process includes an essential cooldown phase, which begins with an ice bath.

As noted by Ben Smith, ice baths aid in pain relief, reduce muscle soreness, and even enhance mood and alertness. LeBron routinely also uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, as seen in the Netflix series ‘Starting 5’. It is a coffin-like tube intended to restore oxygen levels in those who have had carbon monoxide poisoning.

On game days, LeBron will reportedly wake up around 6:30 a.m., cold plunge for 10 to 15 minutes, warm up on the court in the morning, then use the time between noon and 2 p.m. to nap. This will be followed by a series of activations, which include stretching, massaging, and strengthening his core muscles hours before the 7 p.m. tip-off. Even in the off-season, the player maintains a diet rich in whole, organic foods. This eliminates sugar, fried foods, and highly processed foods (Not counting the occasional glass of wine post-game).

Sure, LeBron James is not free from the injury troubles that keep affecting star NBA players occasionally (except if you’re Joel Embiid, because ‘occasionally’ is just being too generous). Despite this, even after having lived 4 decades on this planet, and devoted 2 of them to the NBA, LeBron remains fitter than several of his younger peers. He listens to his body and realizes that the time to quit is not today. Despite all of this, the player can still be healthier by cutting ties with some unhealthy habits. It is something that not only I but also his wife, believes in.

LeBron James revealed how his love for sleep upsets Savannah

Back in April, LeBron James hosted another episode of his ‘Mind the Game’ podcast. During the same time, he revealed some details of what things are like post-game. If you have played an extreme sport at a competitive level, then you know how precious that rest you get after the game is. For LeBron James, given his advanced age, that rest is extra precious. As the player revealed, “It’s usually the morning after the game. It’s that first step out of bed. We’ll let you know how old your a– is, and those are the moments. What the hell are you still doing out here? What the f— are you, right?”.

LeBron likes his sleep, but getting it on the road is tough when everyone on the team is on the move. Therefore, you would think that things are easier at home, right? Well, not really, because then, LeBron has to deal with his wife, Savannah.

“She gets mad at me when it’s time for me to go to bed,” said LeBron while laughing. “That’s how much I love sleep and take care of my body. But about nine o’clock at night, I’m like, ‘what time you going to bed?’ She’s like, ‘you’re going to sleep?’ Yeah, like, I am.”

As someone who only gets to sleep 5 hours a night, I realize the importance of a good nap. Then again, very few people would know better about what’s right for ‘King James’ than his Queen. Let LeBron sleep as much as he wants once he retires. Till then, another step to maintaining a healthier lifestyle is to maybe rise earlier than usual.