"He getting treatment until 2 in the morning" - Markieff Morris is impressed by LeBron James' longevity entering his 20th NBA season
LeBron James and Markieff Morris were only teammates for a brief span of 49 games, but during that time, Morris observed the remarkable commitment LeBron displays in the gym and his relentless focus on improving his game.
Morris, a 12-year NBA veteran, said on the "All The Smoke" podcast that no one focuses on longevity as hard as James.
“It's just unbelievable,” he said. “But, you know, for me, watching him and his work ethic, and what he does for his body, and what he does on the court and what he does to stay in shape is top to none. I've never seen anybody work as hard as him."
Morris became teammates with LeBron James after joining the LA Lakers on Feb. 23, 2020, after the team acquired a disabled player exemption to replace DeMarcus Cousins.
Morris secured his first and only championship, playing alongside LeBron in the bubble.
“Three or four hours before the game, two to three hours after the game, while going in the cold tub, and he's putting in work in the weight room," Morris said. "He's getting treatment until 2 in the morning, you know, all those things and still being him.”
Thanks to his work ethic, James has enjoyed a long and illustrious career spanning 20 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the LA Lakers. He has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.5 rerbounds and 7.3 assists per game.
“So, you know, still being LeBron, still doing that stuff, it is unbelievable,” Morris said. “I've been around the great players. I've played on, I would say, nine of the top 10 players' teams. But on the court, off the court, off the game, nobody works as hard.”
Morris has played 12 seasons for eight teams. He has averaged 10.6 ppg and five rpg in 750 regular-season games.
LeBron James set for Year 21
This NBA season, LA Lakers superstar LeBron James will become just the sixth player in history to play 21 seasons, elevating him to the prestigious company of Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter. Carter holds the record with 22 seasons.
In his first 20 years, LeBron has appeared in 1,421 regular-season games and won the Rookie of the Year award, four MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards and four championships.
James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer last season. James, with 38,652 points, has a chance to become the first member of the 40,000-point club this season.
He also has the opportunity to make history as the first player to achieve a 20th All-Star selection and the first to be named to an All-NBA team 20 times.
With 54,094 regular-season minutes, James is 3,352 minutes shy of Kareem's 57,446 minutes played, which is an NBA record. He is, however, just 758 minutes away from catching up to second-place Karl Malone's 54,852 minutes.
James reportedly commits $1.5 million every year to maintain his body, which he considers his most valuable asset. Coupled with his strong work ethic, his remarkable longevity in the game is undeniable.