LeBron James Listens To Hip Hop As Well As Old School Jazz Before Games: "I Listen To A Lot Of Beethoven And Sh*t Too."

Playing a game at the very highest level of any sport is a daunting task and one that takes a lifetime of preparation and dedication. However, preparing for the moment itself can be a daunting task no matter how many times someone has done it, which is why athletes across all sports have different routines and superstitions for how they spend time before the games actually start. 

Listening to music is probably as common a habit in this situation as any other, and NBA players can often be seen listening to songs on their headphones as they walk into the arena before games. What they're listening to is anyone's guess and hip hop is possibly among the most common genres as players try to get mentally ready to play the game, but LeBron James' recent revelation shows there's a lot more to it than that. 

Speaking on the show, The Shop, LeBron elaborated on what he does before every game, revealing that he gets to arenas 5 hours before the game begins. James broke down what kind of music he listens to as well, explaining that he has different genres for different parts of his routine. 

"If there is a big meeting or we are about to do a show, you exactly know what song or a couple of tracks that you can put on, and it will laser your a** in. I get to the arena 5 hours before the game starts, and when I get there, I go to the weight room, and I listen to only hip hop when I go to the weight room. 

"DMX, I've been listening to a lot of DMX s**t lately, and when I leave the weight room, I gotta calm down. That is when I listen to more like old-school jazz, and I listen to a lot of Beethoven and s**t too, like classical music too. And then, probably like 45 minutes to an hour before the game starts, I turned back up with hip hop."

Using music to regulate the mood is something a lot of people do, so it's no surprise that even the most elite athletes like LBJ have their own playlists for every situation. And whatever it is clearly works, James has been dominating the NBA since he arrived nearly two decades ago.