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President of the Dallas Mavericks, Masai Ujiri, recently shared a story that illustrates LeBron James' relentless work ethic which has allowed him to play in the NBA for such a long time.
Ujiri appeared on the One54 Africa podcast, where he spoke about a time when he was supossed to meet James for a workout and was surprised by how early he was and the type of workout he did.
"I was in Vegas Summer League, you know, and usually our trainer will start working out with some of the guys. And that day I wanted to work out with him, and we went completely early because he's starting at 5:30 in the morning," Ujiri said.
"We're in the gym, and LeBron is in the gym, okay? And he's riding this treadmill backwards, and his trainers, the people he's working out with, are not even there yet and I'm like, "Is that not LeBron James? It's 5:30 in the morning. What is happening here?
"And then, you know, these guys come and he does this incredible workout for an hour and a half. And that's not in front of anybody. It's not like there's anybody there he's trying to show up or anything."
Ujiri's losses against LeBron James
Masai Ujiri
Masai Ujiri
Ujiri was the general manager of the Toronto Raptors for 12 years, from 2013 to 2025. During that time the Raptors faced LeBron James many times, most notably in the playoffs when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Toronto's matchup with James meant that they would meet the end of their playoff run every time, until LeBron left for the Los Angeles Lakers switching conferences. Following that decision the Raptors managed to make it to the NBA Finals and win the championship in 2019.
"I'm telling you, I got my ass kicked by that guy. I hated that guy with a passion," Ujiri said about James. "As soon as he left the conference, we're like, 'Yeah, let's go.'"
Despite hating LeBron in the past, Ujiri expressed respect for the legendary player.
"His passion – I've had the opportunity to be really close friends with him, too. He's a great dude. And really serves and gives to the game. We have to give him that."