“I’m going to use all my tools, my God-given ability, and make the best life I can with it.” This remark from LeBron James perfectly defined the belief that the NBA star has maintained to establish a 21-year-long career in the biggest hoops league. It has also taught him to never take a single day for granted. As a result, both his former and current colleagues continue to talk about how much time and effort he puts into his training and workouts. As it turns out, a break was not something that Bron wanted to take, especially after a devastating loss, a decade ago.

Greg Oden recalled how the 2014 NBA Finals was his last attempt to secure a championship trophy. Unfortunately, the Miami Heat lost to the San Antonio Spurs, and Oden’s exit meetings took place immediately afterward. As he got ready to start the day off with an ‘early’ workout at 8 am, he was already surprised to find his then-teammate, LeBron James, already in the gym with his mum! For Udonis Haslem, who also spent his share of time with the Heat as LeBron’s teammate, this was no surprise.

“People don’t know, and I never heard that story, but I talk about it all the time, just understanding how to be a professional and professionalism. I tell people ‘If practice started at 10, Bron was probably there at 7.’ He even wore a 10 speed and his tights to practice, he done worked out in the weight room, he done got his shots up by the time 9:00 come around, he on the table getting tape, ready to start practice,” said the 3-time NBA champion.

“The way he prepared, there’s no coincidence, and it ain’t by accident, that he performed the way he did in the Olympics at 40.” Even Mike Miller, who played alongside LeBron James during his tenure with the Cavs, was in awe as he highlighted on The OGs podcast, “I always make fun of (that) he’d blast me, he’s a test tube baby.”

While it may be unusual to see a player in the gym so early for a workout, it is even more unusual to see them right after their team got eliminated from the tournament. After all, an elimination lands you in the off-season period, which can go on for a couple of months and give you ample time to work out from your own space. Whether it was the guilt of losing the Finals by a 1-4 record or simply the player’s determination, but LeBron James chose to separate himself from the rest of the crowd and not take a break from the gym.

This put him along the same ranks as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who were also notorious for refusing to take a break after a championship game. As highlighted in the Netflix Documentary ‘The Last Dance’, the Bulls legend ended up gaining over 150 pounds in muscle over the summer of 1990, after the Detroit Pistons had humiliated his team for the second year in a row.

After losing the 2008 NBA Finals, the Black Mamba not only took to improving himself further but also his teammates. Trevor Ariza recalled how Kobe sent him a “blueprint to how we gonna win this sh*t,” highlighting a hectic workout regime.

According to reports, LeBron James spends as much as $1.5 million per year just to maintain his body. The importance of the same has only increased as the player approaches his 40 birthday. After all, only 31 other players in the NBA have gone on to play after crossing the big 40 mark, and only one other player (Vince Carter) has played more seasons than LeBron.

Spread out over six days a week, the NBA All-Time Scorer’s workout regime carries everything from push and pull exercises to lower body plyometrics and yoga. With emphasis being placed on low reps and heavy weights, and a particular focus on large muscle groups through bench presses, squats, and deadlift exercises, the player continues to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that very few players get to be as good as him.

“I’ll literally try anything if it’s going to improve me, improve my body, improve my game, improve my lifestyle,” LeBron James said in 2022. “That’s just how crazy I am about it.”

As highlighted above, the same passion is what allowed King James to be the oldest member of the Team USA squad and yet come out as the second-highest average scorer of the squad in the 2024 Paris Olympics. His workout routine, even on the international stage, left many in awe, especially impressing one individual who had his share of hard workouts under the watchful eye of Michael Jordan.

Steve Kerr was “blown away” by LeBron James’s workout routine in Paris

One would think that Steve Kerr would have high standards for what constitutes an impressive workout routine. After all, not only has he been the head coach of the Golden State Warriors for almost 10 years, but he also served as a point guard on the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls for five years. If ‘The Last Dance’ taught us anything, it was that ‘His Airness’ definitely made his players work hard. Despite this, Kerr witnessed a whole new standard of workout, after watching LeBron through the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During an interview, Steve Kerr went on to state, “I was blown away by how hard Lebron practices. I went to Ty and Spo and said ‘Is this normal?’ Spo said ‘Everyday. Every drill. Every walk-through. Everyday!’” Having coached LeBron James himself during the player’s entire run with the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra knew just what to expect when it came to the King.

With no retirement announcement expected to come out of the player’s mouth anytime soon, the fanbase can keep expecting to hear more stories about the player’s workout routine and use it as motivation. After all, if a 39-year-old can make this much effort to keep himself maintained, then what is stopping you from getting off your couch and going out for a run?

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