‘Personal reasons’ hampering LeBron James in his quest to play 82-games in year 22

LeBron James wanted to play all 82 games for the Los Angeles Lakers in his 22nd season, though those plans have since gone up in smoke.


‘Personal reasons’ hampering LeBron James in his quest to play 82-games in year 22

LeBron James' goals of playing all 82 games for the Los Angeles Lakers is moot

Entering season 22, LeBron James had a goal of playing all 82 games. For someone soon to be 40 years old, it was going to be tough, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has always defied standard belief when it comes to his conditioning.

James spends $1.5 million on his nutrition, fitness, and staff, just to get him through the NBA season. On top of that, the Akron native has made recovery a big part of his daily schedule. That fitness showed when he led Team USA to a gold medal and won the MVP award.

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The superstar’s name has been a part of trade discussions recently, with many claiming he wants to leave the Lakers. But with his family deeply rooted on the West Coast and with businesses dependent on Hollywood, that alleged desire to play for another contender does not hold water.

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LeBron James missed Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, marking the first game he has not missed a game this season. With the 82-game goal now moot, speculations have started gaining traction as to the reasons for the miss.

‘Personal reasons’ caused LeBron James to miss his first game

When head coach JJ Redick was asked about the reason for missing the Trail Blazers game, he answered that his former podcast mate was out of action due to ‘personal reasons’. That led many to speculate if something else was going on in James’ life.

Redick attributed that along with left foot soreness and exhaustion his superstar has faced, the timing was right to take an excused leave of absence. It has also become clear that James will not suit up for the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

Being out due to injury is one thing but labeling it as ‘personal reasons’ piqued fan interest. They were quick to link his absence to the investigation of P Diddy‘s accusations. However, since there are no official reports, such assumptions are baseless.

That said, for the first time in his illustrious career the four-time champion has asked for a leave of absence. Usually, players take it when something important happens in their personal life. The most recent example was Nikola Jokic, who took leave for the birth of his son.

Could it be just fatigue?

LeBron James playing in the Paris Olympics meant he had to cut short his off-season recovery plans. Usually, he continues his recovery well into July and then starts to work back into shape in August. This season, he had to start getting into shape in early June before making it to the Olympic training camp.

After the Games, James had to go into recovery mode and then start training again for the upcoming Los Angeles Lakers season. The extra Olympics workload may have started to show its ugly side for a player on the wrong side of a professional athlete’s life.

This is why JJ Redick felt that the foot soreness was the perfect time to give him that rest. With a quarter of the season done, it is crucial to let someone of his age take frequent breaks. But that also means his plans of playing an 82-game season were far-fetched.

Father time catching up earlier than expected?

The only other basketball player to play 22 seasons in the NBA was Vince Carter. Even he was skeptical about LeBron James playing at such a high level in season 22. Carter stressed that the rigors the human body goes through all this time take its toll, whether one wants to accept it or not.

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent bad stretch of games, Carter felt father time was hitting James faster than expected. Maybe it was time for him to realize he may need to stop before it starts to become an embarrassment.

One of the players he spoke to on the Run It Back show had earlier suggested that Kobe Bryant‘s body broke down a few games into his last season. Could it be that LeBron James is facing such a situation? Only time will tell what theory is true, but there is no denying the fact that the father of three does have a lot on his plate.