Despite being a 40-year-old in his 22nd season, LeBron James continues to dominate in the NBA. It's not just the media and fans who are stunned by that, but NBA players too. During an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Jaylen Brown spoke about James' greatness and threw a subtle allegation at him.
"That man got superpowers," Brown said. "To be able to be 6'9"... I'm 240 pounds, right now sitting here. LeBron gotta be 270... I wanna know if he got something else going on. At 40, it don't even make sense."
"On top of that, the super speed, the super athleticism, he got super vision at the same time," Brown stated. "See the game, super intelligent, a basketball savant. Can read the floor and can be a coach on the floor, all at the same time. Who has that?"
This isn't the first time someone has wondered if James uses PEDs. No one in the history of the NBA has been able to dominate the way he has with this much wear and tear on the body.
James is averaging 24.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. For some context to understand how ridiculous that is, Vince Carter is the only other player to play a 22nd season in the NBA, and he averaged 5.0 points per game in 2019-20.
With that in mind, it's almost inevitable that some would start to believe that external factors could be in play. Even before all this, former MMA fighter Chael Sonnen had accused James of using PEDs in 2023. Sonnen claimed they have the same dealer, and made the same accusation a year later, as well.
James, of course, has never tested positive for PEDs at any point in his career. So, all these are just baseless accusations, as of now. These claims are rather disrespectful as well, as they diminish all the work James has put in behind the scenes to be this good at this stage.
Brown wants to know the secrets to James' longevity, and the man himself had spoken about it during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. LeBron shared the secret to his longevity on the show.
“There are so many guys out there talking about basketball who don’t know the game," said James. "It is every single day, and then you realize that a lot of those guys that played the game, or did not play the game, it was just that they played the game while they were talented. I don't think they ever thought the game, I don't think they were ever smart. I just think they were bigger and stronger and faster at the time, and they dominated, and when it was over, it was over."
"That's why I'm able to still play at f*cking 40 years old, because I can out-think the guys out there," said James. "As my athleticism has gone down a notch, not a lot, I'm able to still bring up other facets of my game to still do what I need to do every night."
James is indeed one of the smartest players ever. He is no longer in the conversation for best athlete in the NBA as he used to be, but his mind helps him compensate for that. We could see James in action next when the Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Tuesday at 8 PM ET.
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