“I don’t play the game thinking about injuries.” In 2021, LeBron James explained his stance on his physical and mental fitness levels. Currently, he is the only second player in history to play twenty-two seasons in the league. And if he chooses to come back next season, he will have another record where he will be undisputed #1. And a former 2x All-Star recently spoke about his experience of meeting King James and the entourage during a commercial.

“I go in his trailer, man, and it changed my whole career. I see this guy, he had his trainer, he had a massage therapist, he had all the bands.” Luol Deng spoke to NBA veterans Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles.”He’s actually working. He’s actually working on his body. And at that time, I thought I worked hard, but I wasn’t working smart. I was just working. But this guy is using his time wisely, and it changed my whole approach.”

The former Bulls star highlighted that after that interaction, he hired a chef and a trainer. Deng and LeBron James appeared in the Olympics commercial in 2012. “We did a McDonald’s commercial together, me and LeBron, before the Olympics. And LeBron has his trailer and I had my trailer. I was there with my brother and LeBron was there with like 15 or 16 people.” During the shoot break, Deng saw LeBron maximizing the time by taking care of his body.

Interestingly, Luol Deng and the 4x NBA Champion were close to pairing up on the court multiple times. First, when the 39-year-old left Miami for Cleveland, it was the South Sudan native who went in the other direction. In 2018, when LeBron James announced his decision about the Lakers, Deng was a part of the team till October, before he signed with the Wolves. They battled each other 49 times, which includes 10 post-season clashes.

The Akron Hammer boasts a 28-21 record. Deng entered the league a year after LeBron James, yet stepped away from the game after the 2018-19 season. So, seeing the Los Angeles Lakers superstar averaging 34.8 minutes in the current season, he shared the success story of James on the Knuckleheads podcast. And he is not the only former player to say so.

Former players rave about LeBron James’ fitness secret

One report early in 2018 suggested that the 20x All-Star spends close to $1.5 million per year. The techniques in the report were cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers, NormaTec leg, etc., and also highlighted the use of personal chefs and trainers. In response, Kevin Garnett also urged other players to follow suit.

“They saying Bron spending 2 million on your body. You gotta spend some bread on your body. You have to go get the stem cell plasma… Gotta get that help if that ain’t it then you just got to be real with yourself and just shut it down.” Apart from the former Celtics star, Matt Barnes too agreed and even coined the term ‘Bron-gevity.’

“I mean, his numbers have been AMAZING across the board since we’ve heard about him as a kid. So, what he’s been able to do in the league for the last 21 years I don’t think we’ll ever see again; I’d like to call it ‘Bron-gevity’, you know?” The former Champion with Warriors credited LeBron James for averaging “26-28 points a game scorer“, during an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson in 2023.

In the docuseries ‘Starting 5’, King James shared that the numbers floating around his training and health bring him to “chuckle.” He continued, “That is a number that I will not disclose, but more importantly, I think it’s the time.” Everybody is eager to dissect the secret, but the main thing is LeBron James is consistent, which Deng outlined. And we all experience it!