LeBron James’ Trainer on the Turning Point That Fueled His GOAT Journey

LeBron James' dedication to his fitness and conditioning has been apparent as he plays in an NBA record 23rd season.

LeBron James’ Trainer on the Turning Point That Fueled His GOAT Journey

Mike Mancias and LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

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As LeBron James continues to defy the odds and play at a high level in his 23rd season in the NBA, many still wonder how he manages to stay this good at this age.

It is not usual for 41-year-olds to play at an All-Star level, let alone as an All-NBA regular. He did take some time to get to his usual conditioning after returning from his sciatica injury.

Now, after playing quite a few games, the superstar is back playing at his best, even though he willingly takes a game off here and there to maintain his energy levels. As no one can claim to have done the same, many have wondered how the Akron native manages to stay in shape after all those minutes under his belt. His trainer seems to have the answer.

The night before our home opener, 2007, I believe, he said, ‘Why don’t you come to the house, and we’ll do some of these exercises, cause I like the way I feel.’… His mind was already thinking, ‘I need to do the extra work in order to get to where I want to be.’

Mike Mancias revealed on the High Performance podcast

The famed trainer has since stuck by the King and continued to reveal that they do work out the night before any game. Mike Mancias revealed that once LeBron James understood what he needed to do, he decided to make that a part of his routine.

Mike Mancias details what made LeBron James dedicate himself towards conditioning

Mike Mancias was talking about the time when LeBron James was all of 23 years old. At those ages, not many players think about dribbling a basketball into their 40s. The famed trainer then revealed what the now-Los Angeles Lakers superstar had in his sights to make such a decision.

Mike Mancias with LeBron James and his sons
Mike Mancias with LeBron James and his sons (Image via Bronupdates/X)

No. 1, he wanted to be the greatest… We both know that that’s going to take a ton of sacrifice, commitment, and you have to be able to play this game for a long period of time… It’s not always fun, it is a grind.

Mike Mancias said

Mancias mentioned that both he and his most prestigious client had a mutual understanding back then that to be great, one had to play the game the right way, and for a very long time.

If James had not decided to go through the grind, which he himself has mentioned later in his career as something that has cost him family time, then he might not have been in a position to be called one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Former players troll LeBron James’ day-off ‘excuse’

Since LeBron James has the most minutes played in league history, he has reiterated that he has the right to choose when he wants to play in back-to-backs. After helping his Lakers to three straight wins in January, he was faced with one such situation.

The four-time league MVP was listed as questionable, with the injuries listed as ‘left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica’. As was expected, he did not play and left the task of winning the game to his teammates.

They could not, and the Lakers ended up losing their first game of the month. When the panel of Gil’s Arena went over these reasons, they broke out into a bout of laughter.

They questioned why the Lakers had to include the arthritis, which can be a serious problem. Just mentioning the sciatica, which he has struggled with this season, was enough.

Even those who had supported him were joking about it, as it was evident that LeBron James was using the back-to-back to get some rest.

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