NBA (DR)

At almost 40 years old, LeBron James is coming off a monstrous Olympic campaign in Paris, during which he led Team USA to a new gold medal.

However, according to a close friend, this was not at all his initial plan. He mainly wanted to calmly enjoy the French capital.

In about ten days, LeBron James will officially return to training to prepare for his 22nd season in the NBA.

And for the first time in a long time, he may have another goal than winning the title in the spring of 2025.

The first reason is sporting, since his Lakers do not seem equipped to shake up the Nuggets, the Timberwolves or the Mavericks.

The second is that he will make history in a much more significant way than just another ring to his name.

The King will be sharing the field with his eldest son Bronny, so they will be more interested in having fun, making memories for eternity, even if it means a few defeats.

At almost 40 years old, he has nothing left to prove to anyone.

LeBron James wanted to have fun in Paris

Especially since he’s coming off a memorable summer.

For the last time in his career, LeBron James donned the Team USA jersey, and despite the presence of Kevin Durant , Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum, freshly champion with the Celtics, it was he who was elected MVP of the Olympic tournament.

Visiting the YouTube channel “High Performance”, his personal trainer Mike Mancias spoke about the King’s mentality before the Games:

Originally, LeBron was just thinking about going to Paris and enjoying the city and the Olympics one last time.

We had a conversation during the regular season, and he was explaining to me that he didn’t plan on doing much on the court, that he didn’t think he’d play much.

He wanted to pass the baton to the younger guys on the roster. Knowing him, I knew he’d change his mind quickly.

In the end, he changed his approach. He took stock of the squad, he took into account everyone’s experience at the FIBA ​​level, and he told me: “I’m going to have to set the tone.” From the first day of preparation, he was the first in the gym at 7:30, the first at breakfast, the first to go to the physio. I understood that he was no longer just there to have fun with his friends.

LeBron James is a great competitor, and even he seems to forget it sometimes… Last season, he was convinced that he would participate in the Paris Olympics in a secondary role and that he would simply let himself be carried by the young players on the roster. And then from the first day of preparation in Las Vegas, he behaved like the leader he was during the tournament.

With a passive LeBron James, the French team could have seriously claimed the gold medal in Paris… Unfortunately, the King went back on his basic idea and took control of the game, which earned him a final MVP title…