You’ve probably read hundreds of things saying that LeBron James has been “back” since the All-Star Game. Ever since the league finished its mid-season hiatus, King James has averaged 25.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent shooting from three. He’s also flown around like a younger LeBron James, as things like dunks have been far more frequent over the last few months.
His post-ASG jams have been especially fun. For proof, watch him throw down all over the Chicago Bulls or do this insane reverse dunk against the Brooklyn Nets. Considering that some people thought he was showing some signs of age earlier this season – partly because he still seemed a little worn down carrying the Cavs in the postseason last year – it’s been awesome watching him play above the rim again.
ESPN caught up with LeBron and asked him about his mini resurgence as a guy who will dunk on anyone. The former MVP touched on how his body feels great, which has allowed him to fly around like a crazy person again.
“My body just feels great, that’s all,” James told ESPN.com on the Cavs’ final road trip of the season. “I’m happy and proud of the work that I put in and that’s just the byproduct of it. To be able to still be bouncing the way I’m bouncing and jumping the way I’m jumping — with all the minutes and all the games I’ve played over the years — I mean, it’s rewarding to know when you put in work and be able to get success.”
LeBron also contextualized how great he feels, saying that even though he’s 31 and has played about 46,000 career minutes, he feels like he’s in his 20s.
“I take pride in the fact that I put a lot of work into my game and to my body and obviously I know how many minutes I have on my body in my career and how many games I’ve played,” James told ESPN.com. “And for me to feel like I’m in my 20s again, early 20s, it’s a great feeling.”
If you’re a fan of one of the 15 other teams competing for an NBA title, this is kind of horrifying, because there’s no one on earth quite like a healthy and motivated LeBron James. We’ll see if he can keep up his high-flying play throughout the postseason, but if he does, the next few months are going to be fun.
(ESPN)
