LeBron James Sees Basketball As An Art Form: 'You Can See The Cadence In How Someone Moves...'

In the aftermath of a win over the Pelicans this week, Lakers star LeBron James spoke on the deeper meaning of basketball. During a chat with reporters, the King explained how the game is an art form with elements like rhythm and cadence that help give it musical properties.

"It's just a rhythm. You can literally watch a game on mute and then play music at the same time and you can see the cadence. You can see the cadence in how someone dribbles and how someone moves. I remember when I was a kid, me and my friends, we used to walk through the mall," James said, via Claire de Lune. "We couldn't afford anything, but we would just have an imaginary basketball and people would walk up to us and we would cross them over. And in the mall, they used to have this background music in the mall. It's a feel. It's a beautiful thing to be able to play the game at such a great rhythm and that's what R&B is: rhythm and blues. Hip-hop is like that, rock and roll is like that. It's a beautiful thing."

Basketball is more than a game to LeBron James. Growing up in Akron, Ohio, the young king didn't have much in the way of money but he still managed to make memories with his friends by dribbling imaginary basketballs to the beat of 90s hip-hop music.

In typical James fashion, he turned an innocent childhood tradition into the ultimate learning experience. At the ball, with the imaginary ball, LeBron learned how to master the sport not just through practice and hard work, but also by viewing it as an art form where players and teams are expressing their identity on the court.

LeBron found out early on that basketball, like music, has a rhythm and any player can tap into it if they move to the right beat. Over his career, the King has made a living out of controlling almost every asset of the game, and it makes sense when you realize he's developed a feel for the game like nobody else in the business.

After eclipsing 50,00 career points on Tuesday, James is arguably the greatest player ever as a 4x champion, 4x MVP, 21x All-Star, and 4x scoring leader. With an ability to adjust his game to whatever the game calls for, James has been flexible for the Lakers this season with averages of 24.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 51.9% shooting.

Besides natural skill and years of practice, LeBron's success can be tied to his unique approach to the game. In many ways, he sees the court like a stage, and he's learned how to play his music with great efficiency.

At 40 years old, in year 22, LeBron has never lost sight of the beauty of the game and it's probably why he's still dominating today as the league's longest-tenured NBA player.