LeBron James was staring at his basketball mortality in the face. His team had been swept in the Western Conference finals the previous spring and his body was showing undeniable signs of age, the mileage mounting while James’ willingness to keep fighting seemed to lessen. “I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest,” he said the night the Lakers got bounced in 2023.
“Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.” A little more than 16 months later, the questions about the future feel like ancient history. With the dawn of his 22nd NBA training camp a day away, James bounced with energy Monday.
The gray hairs had all been erased from his beard. His oldest son is now his teammate. And the shine from his latest gold medal hasn’t come close to fading.
“I feel damn good. I had a great summer. I had a great summer,” James repeated at the team’s media day.
“Body was responding very well overseas along with Team USA. So took care of that. And I kept that going.
Even when we stopped playing, I kept it going. So I feel really good physically. Mentally, I feel really good.
Really sharp. Very fresh. Looking forward to getting to work tomorrow.
I have not thought about what the future holds. Kind of just living in the moment. Especially with Bronny being here too.
“I don’t want to take this moment for granted. I’ve always kind of never gave myself an opportunity to kind of just, like, you know, I guess, tak.
