LeBron James inspires NFL star to invest nearly $250,000 in body care pursuit of greatness
Throughout his career, LeBron James has shown remarkable durability. Heading into year 22, James has shown little signs of slowing down and even helped lead Team USA to an Olympic gold medal this summer. Inspired by this, NFL star Derrick Henry shared on Monday Night Countdown that he decided to take a page out of James' book and invest in himself.
Years back, LeBron once famously said that he spends $1 million per year on his body, something that has paid off for the future Hall of Famer. Now, as Derrick Henry looks to once again lead the NFL in rushing yards, he has started spending $250,000 on his own health.
In an interview that aired on ESPN Leading up to Monday night clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Henry explained how LeBron James inspired him:
"I saw that story on LeBron, he spends like a milly a year on his body. ... And if he's making that sacrifice, ... sometimes you gotta be willing to do things like that."
Throughout his career, Henry has shown impressive durability, playing in 15 or more games in seven of his eight seasons in the NFL.
LeBron James explains why Derrick Henry is his favorite NFL player
The admiration between Derrick Henry and LeBron James seems to be a two-way street. While James has always been open about the fact that he's a big NFL fan, two years ago he went so far as to dub Derrick Henry as his favorite player in the league during an episode of "The Shop."
At the time, James explained that Henry has redefined the running back position, and despite size, has found a way to be one of the best rushers in the NFL.
"What makes him my favorite player? I mean, for years, they always used to say that running backs that size or that tall couldn't survive, and obviously Eric Dickerson kind of changed that, too. But then King Henry, changed that in a whole other fashion."
"Not only is he as tall as Eric Dickerson, but he's built like a linebacker. He run in between the tackles. He can run outside of tackles, and when he gets on the edge, it's either going to be a stiff arm or he's going to run around you."
When Henry became aware of the comments, he responded via X, writing:
"@KingJames MUCH LOVE BIG BRO !"
Since then, Henry has used LeBron James' health routines as inspiration, going so far as to cut out gluten, artificial sugars, fried foods, and dairy. The lifestyle change seems to have paid off for the Ravens star, as he sits tied for most rushing touchdowns in the NFL.
In addition, Henry currently has 873 rushing yards for the season, the most in the NFL by a considerable amount, with Jordan Mason in second with 667 rushing yards.