LeBron James revealed his personal stance on load management after a wave of rest awaits some of the best NBA players this season. The Los Angeles Lakers star will be 35 years old before the end of the year, and it's not far fetched to think the franchise would look to sit him for a few games to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season and the awaited postseason.
“Me, personally, if I’m hurt and if I’m not able to play and I feel like I’ll hurt my team, then I won’t play. That’s the [arrangement] me and my coaching staff have always had,” James told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “You can talk to any of my coaches throughout the course of my career. They get mad at me because I don’t like sitting down. You can ask [Clippers assistant coach] Tyronn Lue. You can ask anybody. They be mad as hell at me because I won’t sit down.
“I just love to hoop, but I’ve also been fortunate enough to take care of my body, except for last year and a couple of years where I maybe had a couple of bumps and bruises or the last game before the season and we’re getting ready for the postseason and you’ll take that game off, but you're doing that because you don’t want to risk anything going into the postseason. I just love to hoop, personally.”
James has spent millions in state-of-the-art technology to keep his body in tip-top shape, from renowned masseuses to his own personal cryogenic chamber to give his muscles and joints some therapy after games.
Doing something like resting and sitting out a game goes against his personal belief, but at this point in his career, he has to do what's best for his long-term health — especially if he's thinking about some long postseason runs in his near future.
Follow Us
Subscribe