It’s not often people criticize LeBron James about his conditioning. The 6-8, 260-pound James goes through a rigorous off-season regiment that would make most mortals curl up in a fetal position while begging to take a day off. But after whispers he had slowed down a step last season, the new addition to the Cavs has cut carbs from his diet this off-season, dropping “significant weight” as a recent Instagram pic shows.
James is listed as 250 pounds on the Cavs roster, as noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s Cliff Pinckard today, but we’ve seen estimates over the years that his weight is closer to 270 than 250.
Sports Illustrated mentioned the whispers from last season that he’s not looking as explosive as he did in the past. Hence, the no-carb diet that has already made the coiled muscles of LeBron even leaner. Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, comes the news he cut carbohydrates from his diet this summer in an effort to shed some pounds:
LeBron James decided to cut carbs this summer & dropped significant weight as tweeted photo shows: https://t.co/bpbGvYi5Bx
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) August 4, 2014
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And a recent Instagram post from LeBron shows that he’s already done so more than a month and a half before training camps open:
While James was right behind Kevin Durant in voting for the MVP last season, and shot a career-high 56.7 percent from the field, those whispers were probably deafening for a player like LeBron who is as physically imposing for his strength and speed as anyone in NBA history.
That being said, it’s important he keeps his girth to a minimum, even when he’s going down into the post as an ostensible power forward next year. Tim Duncan has shown what staying lean can do for a player’s knees, the most fragile part of an NBA player’s body, and the joint that takes the most pounding as players run and jump around an NBA hardwood. Duncan lost a bunch of weight a couple off-seasons ago and it’s allowed him to prolong his career, with a pair of NBA Finals appearances and last season’s Finals win as proof in the benefits of keep trim well into your 30s as a player.
James has played over 33,000 minutes while starting 841 regular-season and 158 playoff games over his 10-year career. Those minutes add up, and the pounding his knees take can be reduced by losing weight, alleviating the wear and tear associated with a grueling NBA schedule.
That’s what LeBron has already done this off-season, perhaps the most important of his career as he embarks on a historic return to the Cavs. If there were whispers about LeBron’s slight downgrade in explosiveness last year, don’t be surprised if he’s looking quicker while rocking his old No. 23 in Cleveland next season.
The rest of the NBA better watch out because this is what LeBron could do even after he supposedly lost a step last year:
What do you think?
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