When you start getting interested in the NBA, it’s the kind of record you think you can never break. That of the number of career points scored, held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for nearly 40 years and his 38,387 pawns. And then came LeBron James in 2003, with the label of the new Michael Jordan – a debate still going on about which is the best – and 20 years later the historic record is about to fall.
LeBron James, aware of being able to break “one of the greatest records in sports in general, one of those which it is believed will never fall”, could go down a little more in history on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday against Oklahoma, since it only lacks 36 points to overtake its illustrious elder. Or it will be Thursday night through Friday against Milwaukee.
The statistics of the “Chosen One” are impressive. He is a quadruple NBA champion (with Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles) and quadruple MVP (best player) of the regular season (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013), not to mention this record soon to be forgotten.
But it is above all his longevity that impresses, as he is playing his 20th season at the highest level! And without ever slowing down since he is averaging 30 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. For comparison, Kareem Abdul Jabbar had to settle for an average of 17.5, 14.6 and 10.1 points per game in his last three seasons. When Michael Jordan scored about twenty, on average, during his return with Washington between 2001 and 2003.
1.5 million annual expenses for his body
At 38, LeBron James has now spent more years on the NBA courts than outside. And this is no coincidence, far from it. “While many don’t, he spends a lot of money taking care of his body. A lot of people think it’s a big expense, but it allows him to do even more, over a long period of time,” explained to Bleacher Report Mike Miller, his teammate in Cleveland.
LeBron James would have even entrusted Maverick Carter, an associate, to spend no less than 1.5 million dollars a year, to take care of his body. Expenses to employ masseurs, chefs, coaches, but also to equip his house with a training room, a replica of those of the Cavaliers or the Heat, his previous NBA franchises. He is also renowned for being one of the first athletes to be equipped with a cryotherapy chamber to facilitate his recovery, and he is fond of hyperbaric chambers to re-oxygenate his body. He’s also not shy about wearing compression garments and electro stimuli when he flies to away games. Only difference that the star allows herself, a little red wine from time to time.
He’s a sports scientist. He thinks of his body like a doctor, a mechanic and a scientist and he invests in it accordingly, ”summarized to NBCNews Jeff Bercovici, journalist and author of play-on : The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age.
Become the first player to play in the NBA with his son
Another symbol of his longevity, LeBron James has faced nine father-son duos since his arrival in the NBA, as Houston Rockets rookie Jabari Smith chambered in early January: “You played my father in your first NBA game. , you feel old, right? “, dropped the kid on the floor. “I felt extremely old when Jabari Smith told me that. I am blessed to be able to play for so long and face several generations, ”replied the star afterwards.
He who plays to break records should not be content to exceed the number of career points of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. To further extend his longevity, LeBron James is now aiming for a new feat, never before achieved: that of playing in the NBA with his own son, Bronny, expected in the 2024 draft.