At 40 years old, LeBron James should be stepping back to prepare for his eventual retirement from the game. Yet, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, he’s arguably the hardest-working member of the team as the first one to arrive at games and other team events.
“In speaking with members of the coaching staff, there was one thing they shared with me,” said James. ‘It was just how amazed they were at age 40, how he’s the first to arrive at games, practices, film sessions, and the first to arrive to team flights. One coach went so far as to say they’ve never seen anything like this in their career from any player, let alone a superstar player. I quote: ‘If he’s operating like that, other guys have to fall in line.'”
In his 22nd NBA season, LeBron James has achieved unprecedented longevity. At age 40, he’s one of the best players in the game on a Lakers team ranked second in the West. He’s averaging 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 51.8% shooting.
According to LeBron, punctuality is a value he weighs heavily and he knows what kind of impact it can have to respect other people’s time.
“It comes from valuing people’s time as much as they value yours and not being disrespectful,” said James. “I think when you’re late and not respecting other people’s time, that’s a character thing for me. I’ve always been like that, even since I was a kid. I set an alarm clock when I was in grade school because I wasn’t waiting for my mom to wake me up, I would be up. I felt like it was the responsible thing, and being the only child, I kind of took that responsibility.”
“As a professional, early bird gets the worm. I know it sounds cliche but sh*t I like being places mad early. It’s part of my process, it’s a part of my DNA, it’s part of who I am. I feel like if you’re on time you’re late. That’s just how I roll man, and I think it sets a tone for my team, and a guy like myself is getting in early and putting in work or whatever. I don’t do it to set the tone for my team, but I’m hoping it has some kind of rub off and positive for the ball club.”
As a 4x champion, 4x MVP, 21x All-Star, and 20x All-NBA player, LeBron James has nothing left to prove in the NBA. And yet, after all these years, he is still putting in more work than everyone else.
As the first to every team event, James sets the tone for the Lakers — and not just because he’s their leader. Being punctual, working hard, and giving maximum effort in every game and practice is just a part of who he is and it’s how he’s managed to stay elite for the past 20+ years.
This season, LeBron is hoping that his example will be enough to lead the Lakers to another championship, but it remains to be seen if they can get it done this year without a proper starting center. Thanks to LeBron, at least, they still have a chance to beat any team in the league.
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