JR Smith Reveals How LeBron James’ Workouts Surprised Him: “He Was Like Kobe”

Guard JR Smith and superstar forward LeBron James helped the Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA Championship.

JR Smith Reveals How LeBron James’ Workouts Surprised Him: “He Was Like Kobe”

LeBron James and JR Smith (Image via FirstSportz)

LeBron James is approaching his 24th season in the NBA, and the primary reason he has been able to continue for this long is his conditioning.

The superstar is known for spending around $1.5 million on his body every year. He embraces new technology and works with fitness and wellness coaches to get the best out of his body.

He has played the most games in NBA history, and despite that, continues to play at a high level at an age when most players struggle off the bench.

He took advantage of the schematic change ever since Luka Doncic arrived, and now gains a lot of in-game rest. Even then, it takes a lot of toll on a 41-year-old with that much mileage to play the way he did.

Then, when he was asked to step up and be the leading playmaker and scorer, he did so with aplomb. This was possible due to his conditioning, which has helped the King stay elite for this long. Former teammate JR Smith details how LeBron James’ preparation left him stunned.

Bron was like Kobe at the time… He was going to work out, but he wasn’t telling me he was going. We would go and work out once, and then I come to find out the next day he worked out three other times… He’s been like that. That was my introduction to somebody who worked.

JR Smith said on The Pivot

This was the former Cleveland Cavaliers star revealing how the four-time champion was Kobe Bryant-esque back in the day. He would not reveal what he was doing, but once the other person realized, they understood what it meant.

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JR Smith admires LeBron James sticking up for him

JR Smith realized that LeBron James took the game of basketball as a job, and not just a lifestyle where anyone can do anything and still earn generational wealth and fame.

2016 Cavaliers after winning the title
2016 Cavaliers after winning the title (Image via Hersey NBA/X)

For someone as dedicated to the craft, it usually brings a cold demeanor to how they see other players. But when it came to the Akron native, Smith revealed how he managed to see him differently.

It means the world because….for him to say that about me, I think it speaks volumes to the level of player I am, and him knowing me as a person. It’s one thing for somebody to give you credit for your athletic ability… But when he talked about you as a person,… right there means way more to me.

Smith said

The guard referenced how the basketball world and some individuals tried to slander JR Smith, both as a basketball player and as an individual.

But James sticking up for him and labeling him as one of his friends meant more. No wonder they are vacationing in Europe as part of the 2016 Cavaliers’ championship reunion.

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JR Smith, LeBron James, and 2016 Cavs wind up reunion in St. Tropez

What JR Smith feels about LeBron James was mighty evident when the latter wanted him to be a part of his Cleveland Cavaliers’ resurgence, which went on to win the 2016 NBA championship.

Even though the New Jersey native has faced incessant trolls for his blunder in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, the four-time league MVP has never made Smith feel as if he cost him a title. That is why the two, and a few other Cavaliers teammates, decided to host a reunion in Europe. It featured mostly players who have retired, except for Kevin Love, who is a free agent.

That could explain why Kyrie Irving could not make it to the gathering. He still plays for the Dallas Mavericks, a team that believes the Lakers made a mess out of them when they convinced former GM Nico Harrison to hand over Luka Doncic for nothing.

The group started in London, and then found their way to St. Tropez, where they were last seen enjoying a hearty meal and champagne. Maybe Irving can be a part of the reunion 10 years later, when he will be done with basketball.

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