LeBron James opens up on the three reasons his body is holding up at 40 years old

LeBron James has opened up on three key components that have helped him dominate the NBA for over two decades after the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves in Game 2 of their playoff series

NBA superstar LeBron James has revealed three ways he prepares his body, which has allowed him to dominate basketball into his 40s. Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors icon Draymond Green has clapped back at Houston Rockets fans for the unsavory chants they showered him with in Game 2 of their first-round series in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

James, who entered the NBA at 18, has carved out a legendary career, asserting himself on the Mount Rushmore of basketball as the league’s all-time points scorer. He is also a four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP, and four-time NBA Finals MVP, and even at 40, he’s up there as one of the league’s most productive stars and a huge draw wherever he plays.

Despite admitting he doesn’t have long left in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers forward – who’s leading LA in a tough first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves alongside Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic – has revealed how he looks after his body, allowing him to dominate his rivals for over two decades. James is disciplined with his sleep, diet, and mental state.

“I mean, I think I was up there with, I don’t know if I’m one, two, or three, or whatever, like most minutes in the playoff history. The amount of games and playoff series. I know I’m number one in minutes. I’m number two in record season minutes or whatever,” James said after scoring 21 points and registering 11 rebounds and seven assists in the Game 2 playoff win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on home court on Tuesday night.

“So, yeah, I mean, I’m 40 years old. I’m in year 22. I’ve been in the postseason way over half of my career. You know, so I listen to the body.That’s about taking care of what I have to take care of, control what I have to control. And that’s about getting sleep, getting the right food in me, and keeping my mind sharp. Obviously, the body can do what the body can do, but as long as the mind is in tune, I believe that you can take it even further.

“So, just trying to give my teammates what I got offensively, but more importantly, defensively, going out there, helping rebounding, crashing, being physical. Also using my mind to be able to call out a lot of things that teams are doing so we can be ahead of a lot of plays as well, so we’re not surprised by a lot of things.

LeBron James helped the Lakers win Game 2 against the Timberwolves(Image: Getty)

“So, I’m just super, super happy, and I don’t take it for granted just to be able to play this game. Still, you know, there’s a long way to go to do it, so just try to take advantage of every moment you get.”

The Lakers’ Game 2 win comes after they lost Game 1 to the Timberwolves over the weekend, with the NBA playoffs now underway. James and Co. are among the favorites to win the Western Conference and contest the NBA Finals against whoever wins in the East.

The Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in a blockbuster mid-season trade from the Dallas Mavericks in a conference. The Slovenian superstar scored a game-high 31 points. “It was just a question of if we would be more physical or not and I think we showed that,” said Doncic. “We were there for 48 minutes. We got up big in the first quarter, we learned from the last game and we just stuck with it.