After more than two decades in the NBA, LeBron James has built a career defined by consistency, discipline, and longevity. Now entering his 23rd season, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar revealed that part of what keeps him locked in before every game is a set of superstitions he refuses to break.
In a recent sit-down with Complex, LeBron confirmed one of the long-standing rumors about his pregame routine: he always lays his jersey out before games and refuses to let anyone step over it.
“Yeah, that’s a real thing… I am always the same unless I feel something is off. So like, I will lay my uniform out the same way before every game. I will pick a shoe that I’m going to wear according sometimes to either the opponent or the team.”
“If I’m playing a certain player, a specific shoe may get worn that night, just because of, you know, my competitive nature.”
“But if I go out in warmups and I feel a certain way and the shoes don’t feel right, I will absolutely run back to the locker room and change before the game starts. Or if I’m sh**y in the first quarter. They’re getting swapped out… I haven’t swapped out many shoes because there’s not many sh**ty quarters for me.”
It’s a ritual that might sound small, but for an athlete as meticulous as LeBron, it’s part of a bigger psychological preparation. Everything has to be in order before he hits the floor. For him, superstition is not just about luck, but about reinforcing focus and calm before stepping into the chaos of an NBA game.
Anthony Davis, his former Lakers teammate, confirmed this earlier in the year when asked about LeBron’s habits. Davis described how meticulous James is about his locker setup and pregame routine, noting that nobody on the roster dares mess with it.
This sort of attention to detail reflects why LeBron has been able to sustain dominance into his 40s. Beyond the hours of physical training, diet, and recovery, including investing millions into his body every season, his mental approach remains just as sharp. Superstitions like these are often misunderstood as quirks, but for LeBron, they’re part of the rhythm that prepares him to perform at an elite level.
What makes the revelation even more interesting is how it contrasts with LeBron’s larger-than-life reputation. For a player with four NBA championships, two decades of All-NBA honors, and status as one of the greatest to ever play, you wouldn’t think something as simple as laying out a jersey could matter.
Yet it shows the human side of greatness: even the best rely on rituals to create a sense of control before the unpredictable moments of competition.
With the 2025–26 season set to begin, and Luka Doncic now joining him in Los Angeles for his first full campaign with the Lakers, LeBron’s routines will once again be on display. Whether it’s the jersey placement, the choice of shoes, or the consistency of his preparation, these superstitions serve as reminders that even legends need order and ritual to fuel their success.
For LeBron, superstition isn’t about fear it’s about structure. And that structure has helped him carve out one of the most remarkable careers in sports history.
