There were reports that during the NBA lockdown, LeBron James made sure that the inactivity will not leave him out of shape. He was thought to be working out and practicing with select friends and teammates in the past months that his form can be characterized as "outstanding."
That came directly from Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, who reported that his superstar player, even at 35, came to Orlando all geared up to play competitive basketball. The King showed no sign of rustiness during the Lakers' team practices despite the imposed shutdown that stretched for more than three months.
"It's really remarkable how well he's been able to stay in shape, stay ready, to be sharp. It's as if there wasn't a layoff at all, and he's playing at a really high level," Fadeaway World reported Vogel as saying, picking up from the social media post of journalist Mike Trudell.
James coming fully prepared for the Orlando games is not out of character. The Los Angeles star is well-known to keep a strict regimen that will make his body fit. And surely, he has the means and resources to follow a routine that will ensure he is ready when the NBA games are resumed.
When the season was suspended as the COVID-19 pandemic was just breaking out in March, the King displayed a form that convinced many he is not just gunning for his fourth NBA title. The kind of game that James played in the season propelled the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference, and many were saying he could give a good run on the 2020 MVP race.
The update from Vogel indicated that nothing has changed. James remains on top of his game and the report said, the superstar will simply continue with the show he has started months ago.
Make no mistake, however, that James plans to live as usual in the NBA's bubble city. He is royalty in the league but according to Lakers Nation, James has decided to do away with the luxuries he normally enjoys while playing serious basketball, home and away.
In effect, James is living in the bubble city minus the privileges because he wants to send out the message to his fellow NBA players that "we're all in this together," the report said, citing Chris Haynes of TNT as source.
"He has not brought along his personal chef, his personal masseuse, nor has he brought over his extended security team. He wants to make sure he's going through all the [same] rigors of his teammates on this campus," Haynes was reported as saying.
James' decision to live like the rest of the bubble participants and eat the same food is a testament to his commitment to the season restart. Even before the plan was hatched for a bubble city setup, the superstar had stated he is in and he's merely living up to that word.
