LeBron James opened up during his appearance onThe Pat McAfee Show Wednesday where he attempted to dispel myths and addressed his recent brouhaha with Stephen A. Smith. One aspect of the James mythology that was touched on pertained to James' recovery methods. Specifically, one that began appearing around the mid-2010s when James was approaching his mid-30s claiming that he spends about a million dollars per year preserving his body.
According to James, he’s not sure where that figure came from.
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“I don't know where the hell that s— came from,” said James to McAfee with a chuckle.
However, beyond that, James didn’t necessarily debunk the figure.
“Listen, I do take care of my body. But I have no idea where the amount of money came from, but I do invest in my body for sure,” added James. “Trying to do a little bit of this, little bit of that. Obviously, a lot of soft tissue work, a lot of massages, a lot of hyperbaric chambers, ice tubs, ice baths. Whatever I can do to continue playing at this level, man, I'm gonna continue to do while I'm playing.”
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Lakers forward LeBron James (23) watches from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center
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Over the years, James’ biohacking become hyperbole. However, it’s not unreasonable to think he’s spending somewhere in the neighborhood of high six figures.
In2016 Malcolm Gladwell recounted a conversation he’d had with James’ business associate, Maverick Carter, about the lengths James went to preserve his body. It was Carter who allegedly originated the one-and-a-half million dollar number.
“Well, he’s replicated the gym that whatever team — whether it was Miami or Cleveland — he’s replicated all the equipment they have in the team’s gym in his house. He has two trainers. Everywhere he goes, he has a trainer with him,” Carter said. “I’m paraphrasing what he told me, so I might not be getting all these facts right. He’s got chefs. He has all the science of how to sleep. All these different things. Masseuses. Everything he does in his life is constructed to have him play basketball and to stay on the court and to be as healthy as possible and to absorb punishment when he goes into the basket and he gets crushed by people.”
None of this is science fiction. It’s just discipline and investment in resources. Between cryotherapy, red light therapy, hyperbaric chambers, chefs, masseuses, wine baths, and trainers, those costs add up.
Ultimately, James’ investment has paid off. At 40, he’s outplaying any quadragenarian in NBA history. His 24.9 points per game surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1987-88 scoring average by 10 points for the most by any 40-year-old in league history. Maybe he’s the NBA’s Dorian Gray. Only James truly knows. Whatever the cost was, it was worth it.