Doc Rivers, Bill Simmons contrast LeBron James' immaculate physical regimen with the 80s: "Larry Bird would stop drinking beer before playoffs"
NBA media personalities Doc Rivers and Bill Simmons are not at all surprised that even at an advanced age, LeBron James continues to perform at a high level. They took note of how "The King" has taken exceptional care of himself, in contrast to what they said was the norm back in the 1980s.
Pn Simmons’ podcast recently, the two touched on the incredible job the 38-year-old James is doing in leading the charge for the LA Lakers in the ongoing NBA season.
Along the way though, they highlighted how it is to the credit of the four-time NBA champion that he's still very much on top of his game while noting how things have changed for the NBA over the years, especially nutrition. Rivers said:
"LeBron told me other than wine, I put nothing bad in my body."
Simmons, for his part, shared an anecdote about the 80s:
"In your era, Larry Bird would stop drinking beer right before the playoffs, and that was his big concession to his body — I'm not gonna drink Miller Lite for 2 months."
Sure enough, what LeBron James is doing right now is unheard of in the NBA. Despite being in his 21st year in the league, he continues to be among the top athletes in the game.
For the season, the 19-time All-Star leads the Lakers with averages of 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 33 minutes.
In the recently concluded NBA In-Season Tournament, James was adjudged the MVP, averaging 26.4 points, eight rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 31 minutes as the Lakers became the first-ever NBA Cup winners.
LeBron James continues to work on his conditioning
Even as this late stage of his legendary career, LeBron James continues to work on his game and conditioning, which has certainly served him well, as he's playing at such a high level.
In an interview with Tonal last year, 38-year-old James shared how his mindset about conditioning changed as he grew in the game and how it paid huge dividends:
“I’ll literally try anything if it’s going to improve me, improve my body, improve my game, improve my lifestyle. That’s just how crazy I am about it.”
“The one thing that I’m doing right now is continuing to work on my conditioning, where I can play as many consecutive minutes (as possible) out on the floor and not get tired or if I get tired, being able to get my second wind faster than my competition.”
LeBron James is second in most career seasons played in the NBA, behind only Vince Carter who played for 22 seasons. However, at the current rate he's going, the Ohio native could well break the record.