How did lebron james get so good at basketball

There is a case to be made for why LeBron James is the most unique NBA star we’ve ever seen.

People will often say he’s the same size of Karl Malone except he plays like a guard. Some people mention the incredible passing ability—not just for his position but in general. Some people will talk about his strength going to the basket and his otherworldly defense.

Well, Serge Ibaka might not agree with that last sentiment. If he starts arguing with you about the subject, just pump fake him and he’ll be out of your hair.

Do I think LeBron James is the most unique star to ever play the game? I think he’s very close to being classified as such. There is a big part of me that is hesitant to just give him that status because of the era we’re currently in and the eras that came before us.

When discussing whether or not a guy is the best ever at something or the most unique ever, one must consider the era in which they were playing. When George Mikan was dominating the BAA and the NBA, he was 6’10” and 240 pounds. Almost every other center playing against him was around 6’7” or 6’8” and weighed a lot less.

When Wilt Chamberlain was setting every scoring record imaginable in the 60s and 70s, he wasn’t just the biggest guy in the league; he was also a world-class track and field athlete. There wasn’t anybody else during his time that could do the things he was able to do athletically.

He used to make free throws by dunking them, causing the NCAA to change rules in order to stop him from doing it.

Then you get to someone like Magic Johnson—a 6’8” player that was probably the inspiration for everybody’s attempt at creating a player in basketball video games the first time around. For his era, there weren’t guards even close to his size, and yet he was able to do everything your typical point guard could do.

He is and he isn’t. The NBA has evolved into a league of hyper-athletic small forwards masquerading around other positions on the court. Positions are becoming less of a necessity and more of a novelty. Instead, coaches are putting out their best five-man lineups, regardless of what position a guy naturally plays.

LeBron embodies this more than any player in the NBA. He can literally play all five traditional positions and he gives you the versatility in your lineups that the mad scientists on the sidelines crave.

LeBron fits into his current era perfectly and maybe that’s what makes him so unique. There are four reasons he’s able to accomplish these feats and play anywhere on the basketball court.

I always have a problem with teams playing off of Rajon Rondo because it allows him to see the floor perfectly. For any great passer, the more of the floor you allow them to see, the better odds they’ll see the pass they need to make.

Because LeBron is such a perimeter-oriented player, the defense is at a catch-22 with him. The smaller perimeter guys are the only ones quick enough to stay with him until he bumps them out of position. And bigger defenders are too slow and worried about him driving to the basket. This means they have to play off of LeBron and it gives him a great view of the floor.

What makes LeBron such a great passer (outside of his vision) is his strength. James is so strong that it’s merely a flick of the wrists and a pop of his hands to fire a pass 25 feet on a straight line.

On this play against Dallas to start the season, Marion is playing off of LeBron (partly because LeBron is 30 feet from the basket but also because of the driving capabilities) and it gives LeBron an open view of the floor.

As Wade comes across the lane and plants in front of the basket (something every coach tells you to do), LeBron has enough room and strength to fire the pass in there before Delonte West can recover and pick it off.

Another way in which LeBron is so good at picking apart defenses is his passing out of the post. With today’s help defense rules and schemes almost completely taking away straight-up post play, patient passing out of the post is key.

LeBron watches the help defense set up shop. His teammates know that as soon as their defender turns toward LeBron, they can cut down the lane if a third defender isn’t shading the basket. That’s exactly what Udonis Haslem does here with Roy Hibbert hanging around Joel Anthony for no reason.

LeBron is one of the best bounce passers in the league too, which is instrumental in delivering the ball out of the post to cutters.

I put these two videos together to show you just how special his crosscourt passing is. One of the biggest parts about being a gifted passer in the NBA is willingness to pass. There are times in which we see stars (LeBron included) force up shots on drives where there isn’t much daylight.

On these two plays, LeBron’s drives are almost completely designed to set up the shooters in the corners with Miami.

He uses himself as his own decoy for the defense, knowing they’ll suck in to take away whatever shot he might put up.

There are only a few players (Chris Paul, Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo) in the league that rival LeBron’s crosscourt passing ability.

There are plays like this in which he dissects your halfcourt defense by being patient enough to wait for guys to be open under the hoop. When that happens, he can look away and deliver a bounce pass on the money for an easy score.

It leaves defenders wondering who was supposed to defend the player that scored because everyone was rotating over to worry about LeBron.

Don’t worry; I’m not going to make you watch individual clips of LeBron grabbing boards. But check out this video.

I used these three rebounds because I wanted to show you a couple of different ways in which he attacks the glass.

First, LeBron has been matching up against bigger players the last two years and he’s been much more adept at boxing out.

Here he adjusts on a block by Wade and uses his strength and lower center of gravity to root Serge Ibaka out of rebounding position.

On the second rebound, LeBron skies into the lane to flush down the missed shot by Bosh. As soon as Bosh puts up the awkward shot, you can see LeBron tracking the flight of the ball like it’s some kind of prey. And once he decides to go get it, nobody really has a chance.

On the third rebound, it’s just an example of how he can use his athleticism in traffic to go up and snatch the ball. And his vice-like grip is so strong that it’s hard to tear it away from him once he gets two hands on the ball.

Consider this stat about LeBron. In the history of basketball, only five players have ever been able to score the ball at a clip of 25 points while dishing out seven assists and grabbing seven rebounds or more per game. LeBron has done it five times.

Guys that score and pass well just don’t really seem to find a way to crash the boards. And with LeBron, the cliché of having a “nose for the ball” does seem to fit.

He gets a lot of rebounds just by being around the basket on missed shots. Sometimes, it’s that simple.

The key with what Miami does defensively, especially since Shane Battier signed with them, is they put pressure on the perimeter and switch almost everything. They can do this because they have the athletes to keep up with a lot of perimeter offensive weapons.

By knowing the help will be there if they get beat, Heat perimeter defenders are able to be aggressive and contest shots off the dribble. That’s exactly what LeBron James likes to do.

In this play against Paul Pierce, James does a fantastic job of forcing him away from the middle. When Pierce drives middle, LeBron slides his feet, cuts him off and forces him to find another way to get a shot.

While Pierce loves that pull-up jumper from the elbow, LeBron forces him to fade a bit more than he’d probably like and shoot the ball from farther out than he was likely hoping to.

Every coach in the league preaches to force guys baseline and use it as a defender. They want to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor because that gives you the most options on offense to beat the defense. LeBron does a really good job of taking away the middle.

In this video against Carmelo Anthony, LeBron seems to know exactly what Carmelo wants to do. He knows Melo loves to shoot the step back jumper and he takes away any space and comfort.

LeBron isn’t as physical as Ron Artest used to be, but he defends in a similar manner. He takes away the space the offensive player tries to create and make them feel like he's in their jersey.

I love this video of LeBron fronting the post against Gasol. You heard Jeff Van Gundy talk about how high school coaches want to teach fronting the post. This is textbook.

All of those wall sits your coach made you do over the years pay off right here. LeBron sits down in the post, keeps his butt on Pau’s thighs, and doesn’t allow him to get any leverage.

He beats Pau to the spot, he gets physical on each collision, and he keeps his arms bent and back so he can feel where Gasol will want to go next. He completely takes away the pass on the first possession and gets Pau to commit a frustration foul on the second possession.

And this is the versatility LeBron has added to his defensive game and to Miami’s strategy. They can go small because he’s willing to be physical with bigger guys and take away any advantage they might have. He still struggles to defend longer post players if they do get decent position on him, but that doesn’t happen often.

Then of course there is the chasedown block. He gets blocks in other fashions, but his ability to stalk and attack a layup on the fastbreak can get in your head as an offensive player.

You might hear footsteps and think he’s ready to imprint Spaulding on your forehead. It’s a psychological advantage that shows up every now and then.

There isn’t a lot missing from LeBron’s offensive repertoire.

Like many NBA stars, you can’t defend LeBron one-on-one. Match him up with a small forward and he’s probably too strong to stop.

Durant did a lot to improve as a defender last season, but LeBron is just quick enough and far too strong for Durant to really stay in front of him consistently. And weak reach-in fouls against LeBron clearly don’t stop him from getting to the basket.

You also have those times in which LeBron is matched up against more traditional power forwards. Here Brandon Bass is left on an island and he really has no chance. LeBron’s crossover is a lot less sloppy than it used to be. It’s lower to the ground and quicker. That’s not fair for opposing 4's he’s going against.

There’s the athleticism James has. The Celtics do a good job of cutting him off from the basket on this play, and yet he still has the hangtime to gather himself in the air and put up a good runner. He’s so good at getting himself balanced and squared to the basket on these, that opponents are just hoping his depth perception malfunctions.

And then there’s his post game. For years, people cried for LeBron to put together a post game. Last season, he showed that he possessed an ability to score in the post. The problem was that he seemed reluctant to go do it.

In 100 games (including playoffs) during the 2010-11 season, LeBron had 205 possessions in the post in which he ended up with a field goal attempt, free throw attempt or turnover. He was 17^th in the NBA with 1.04 points per possession, making 54.4 percent of his shots.

This past season, LeBron had 325 post-up possessions in 85 games. He got in the post and did a lot of damage. His numbers went down to 0.94 PPP (25^th in the league) and 49.4 percent shooting, but his effectiveness and volume in the post helped diversify Miami’s offense.

As you can see from the video, LeBron has a lot of moves. He’s added the fade-away to both sides, he can do a quick spin as soon as he makes contact in the post and his hook shot is solid.

His outside jumper has gotten a lot better. Two years ago, he shot 44.5 percent from 16-24 feet. It dropped to 38.4 percent this past season, but his balance looks much improved from his days in Cleveland.

He still settles for it too much for a lot of people’s liking (including my own), and he has a tendency to fade unnecessarily. If he can iron out making that shot more difficult, you can expect his percentage to get back to his 2010-11 performance.

So how can LeBron end up being the most unique star ever? As much as I don’t like him settling for long jumpers and three-point shots, adding that to his game as a more consistent weapon would probably set him apart from any other player there has ever been.

Now, don’t confuse that for me saying he’d be the best player ever. I don’t think that’s true. But I do believe he’d end up being the most unique player we’ve ever seen.

He’s a career 33.

1 percent three-point shooter but did shoot a career-high 36.2 percent last season. If by some chance he was able to up that to around 40 percent, it would be hard to imagine a more unique player to NBA history than James.

As of right now, I’d give the nod to Magic Johnson as the most unique star we’ve ever seen. Considering his era and his ability, nobody has been as unique to the game as what Magic did out there.

Then again, LeBron is only 27 years old. He has time to get there, which is scary.

6 Reasons LeBron James Is NBA's Best Player...for Now | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

6 Reasons LeBron James Is NBA's Best Player...for Now

He's in His Prime

He's Become a Team Player

He's Got the Stats

He Can't Be Stopped

He's Matured

He's Got It All?

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How LeBron James became the most successful and wealthy basketball player in the 21st century

In the history of basketball, there was only one athlete who could earn more than $ 1 billion in his career - the legendary Michael Jordan. Now there are two such athletes. The other day, Forbes reported that LeBron James became the only current NBA player who managed to earn a billion. Over a 19-year career, he has received more than $385 million from the clubs he has played for, as well as $900 million from his personal brands. Forbes Life Explains What the Lakers Basketball Phenomenon Is

Four NBA titles and the best scoring of any player in the league

Any athlete is "fed" first of all by his results.

And although it would not be entirely fair to say this about LeBron (after all, third-party income brings him most of the profit), it should be understood that without success on the site, he would hardly have been able to build an entire business empire.

In his 19 year career, LeBron has won four NBA titles with three different clubs and has been MVP in all Finals. We will not dwell on James's statistical achievements in detail, but we will note that he is the champion among active basketball players in terms of the number of points scored in his career.

In terms of NBA scoring rating, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played for the Lakers in the 1980s, could score more than LeBron, but judging by the average per game, in a couple of seasons, James will probably become the sole leader of the entire league history.

In addition to club and individual achievements, LeBron won two Olympic medals with the US team, as well as World Championship bronze and American championship gold.

In short, the Lakers player has achieved the highest recognition in his sport during his career and continues to rapidly move towards the title of the main star in the history of basketball. In terms of greatness, it can only be compared with Michael Jordan, but here everyone chooses the best based on their tastes and preferences.

Investing in your body

LeBron James was selected in the NBA draft in 2003, and since then several generations of talented basketball players have changed at once. But LeBron has always been number one among his competitors.

For 37-year-old LeBron, fitness is of the utmost importance. And the Lakers basketball player has it just phenomenal - in the current NBA season, he looked no worse than ten years ago.

This is confirmed by statistics - this calendar year, LeBron scored more than a thousand points in 33 games. The outstanding physical form of LeBron during his jumps is especially clearly visible - when he flies over the ring, the viewer forgets that this basketball player is already almost 40 years old and that only a few remain in the game at that age.

LeBron regularly works on his body and invests in it very seriously. One of the NBA's top analysts, Bill Simmons, in his "Book of Basketball" mentioned that LeBron spends about $ 1.5 million on his body a year. In addition to training with the team, James holds daily classes with his personal trainer Mike Manchias, and also consults with Donnie Raymond, personal recovery specialist. With this approach, it is not surprising that a basketball player at 37 looks no worse than 10-15 years ago.

Own studio and starring role in a blockbuster

To become better than Michael Jordan, you need to try to “beat” him not only on the sports ground, but also in the media field.

LeBron, like his stellar predecessor, is also trying to build an acting career, but unlike Jordan, the Lakers player also tries his hand at producing and on television. In the 2000s, he managed to try himself as the host of the ESPY Award ceremony, and also regularly appeared on Saturday Night Live. At the same time, his producer debut happened - he participated in the creation of the film "More than a game", and also began to appear in various projects in the role of himself.

In 2020, LeBron co-founded The SpringHill Company with his manager, which develops projects for Walt Disney, Netflix, NBC and many other companies. The main project of the studio at the moment is the film Space Jam 2: The Next Generation, where LeBron himself played the main role. And although the picture turned out, to put it mildly, unconvincing, it is worth noting that he managed to create a stir.

Mostly thanks to LeBron himself.

Nike record deal

LeBron was able to monetize his talent as a teenager. The first brand that noticed the young athlete was Nike. The company signed a contract with him when the basketball player was still playing for the school team.

Later, in 2015, the agreement became for life. According to USA Today insider Sam Emick, LeBron receives $30 million from the brand every year. And that's without taking into account bonuses from sales of the LeBron line of sneakers. At the time of signing the contract, LeBron was the brand's highest paid athlete. James also has active agreements with Walmart, AT&T and PepsiCo. And such demand is explained not only by the results of the athlete, but also by his successful way.

Major investor in the world of basketball

Contracts with big brands are a common story for top-level athletes.

But competent investments are still a somewhat atypical model. Much of LeBron's financial success is due to the fact that he really knows how to invest his money. For example, he is a shareholder of Apple and Liverpool football club, which brings him considerable income. On investments in the English team alone, he was able to earn more than $70 million.

LeBron also has his own investment brainchild, which brings him a considerable part of his fortune. We are talking about the network of pizzerias Blaze Pizza, in which he invested ten years ago almost at the start of the brand's existence. According to ESPN, this business brings him more than $30 million annually. Few athletes can boast such an entrepreneurial flair.

LeBron James is top even at 37 because he likes to sleep for 12 hours when others go to strip clubs and tweet at night - Don't play basketball - Blogs

LeBron James turned 37 last week, but he's still winning the race with athletic old age.

In his 19th season in the NBA, the four-time Larry O'Brien Cup winner has the highest personal scoring since 2010 (28.5 points), hitting the most 3-pointers in his career with the best field goal percentage since 2014 (37.4%), and also commits 1.1 blocks and 1.8 interceptions, which has not happened since 2009and 2012, respectively. 90,005 90,050 While the Lakers' results fall short of preseason expectations - the Lakers are seventh in the West with 19 wins and a similar number of losses - the Los Angeles superstar's individual level isn't that much in question. To what concerns the performance on the court, and not the formation of the line-up, of course.

Where does a star basketball player get the energy to stay in great shape at such a respectful age for a professional athlete?

James was asked the same question at the press conference after the victory over Orlando.

“A dream,” LeBron replied. - Dream and inspiration from the game of the son and his team. I slept well in Oklahoma City before the game.

Today I also managed to sleep well, which gave me strength and helped on the floor. I overslept from 12 pm to 8 am when I woke up for breakfast, after which I lay down again - from 8:30 to 12:30. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Twelve hours - that's how much it took James to sleep before the game. This does not surprise the striker's partners at all: for many years there has been a joke in the league that during trips he either sleeps or plays basketball.

LeBron himself spoke about the reverent attitude to sleep and how time in bed increases productivity on the Tim Ferriss show.

« Nothing is more important than REM sleep. This is the best process for 100% emotional and physical recovery in the shortest possible time .

Is it always possible to wake up and feel one hundred percent? Some days you don’t, but on others you feel much better than others. The more often you get eight hours of sleep, the better. If you manage to fall asleep for nine hours - amazing! Sometimes I need 10 hours of sleep.

When I can't get the required 8-10 hours of sleep at night, I go home and doze off for a few more hours.

I think this is the best way to recover. I can do all the exercises, I can use ice pads, I can use electronic machines and all the other types of recovery available while awake, but sometimes a good sleep is enough and you just wake up fresh and rested. You don't need an alarm clock, you just feel like you're capable of spending the day at the highest level," James explained.

The basketball player did not accidentally identify the phase of REM sleep. The REM phase (from "rapid eye movement") or REM phase (from "rapid eye movement") is characterized by increased brain activity, rapid eye movement and the appearance of colorful dreams. During REM sleep, the activity of brain regions associated with memory, the emotional state of a person, and the processing of visual information increases. In parallel with this, the activity of the prefrontal cortex decreases, which is responsible for many functions, including the complex cognitive behavior of the individual, as well as the coordination of a person’s thoughts.

As a result of complex processes, we see vivid and emotional dreams, and our brain simultaneously structures memories, reduces stress and improves mood, strengthens the immune system, and also increases concentration and overall concentration.

The average duration of a complete sleep cycle with all stages of NREM (slow-wave sleep) and the REM phase is 80-90 minutes. With each new cycle, the duration of REM sleep increases. It is precisely to get the maximum benefit from the REM phase that LeBron is looking for when he uses extra time for rest.

« Most of my career and before every game I take a nap in the afternoon . We have a complicated calendar: during trips we go to bed late at night and get up early in the morning. So there is no better way to recover than sleep,” said the four-time MVP.

• turns off the TV, smartphone and other electronics approximately 45 minutes before going to bed;

However, this does not always help either: LeBron complained that he often had problems sleeping after losing playoff matches - the cost of losing was too high .

In addition, he regularly encounters a problem common to all players: when athletes spend the night in an unfamiliar environment on the road, part of their brain does not fall into a deep sleep, because it considers the environment to be hostile. According to the founder of the Center for the Study of Sleep, professor at the University of California at Berkeley Matthew Thomas, this is an evolutionary defense mechanism, which, however, prevents the body from fully recovering at night.

The importance of adequate sleep for basketball players has been confirmed by several scientific studies. For example, The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players.