LeBron James made key changes to alcohol consumption, body weight to help Lakers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LeBron James may not be the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers anymore. That honor almost certainly belongs to Luka Doncic.
But the King is still one of their most important pieces, and he's doing what he can to help the cause this season in two specific ways.
In a new article by ESPN's Dave McMenamin, he references James' alcohol consumption and his weight as areas he has taken steps to alter at various points of the season to improve his overall chances of helping the Lakers win.
"While James is eight years older, he has shown a similar commitment to this season's Lakers team, sources said," McMenamin wrote. "He missed the first 14 games because of sciatica. But James stopped drinking alcohol during his rehab, and he has slimmed down considerably, hoping to take pressure off his back and joints and to 'keep up with the young guys,' he said."
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James, a fan of a good wine, is not believed to have given that up permanently, but rather stayed away from it while he worked to get back into fitness to get back on the floor.
He is noticeably slimmer, and he can still take off and fly down the lane for dunks, so this approach clearly is working out OK.
James will be heavily in the spotlight on Wednesday night as the Lakers play in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
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There are already rumblings that the Cavs might try to get James to sign back with them in the summer once he's a free agent.
For now, though, it's clear that LeBron is focused on doing whatever he can to help the Lakers win basketball games.
With the way he's playing at the moment, it's clear that James' approach is a good one.
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- Donovan Mitchell tied a LeBron James record with the Cavs
- How Dillon Brooks is much more than a LeBron hater
- What Giannis injury means for the Bucks' future
- Trae Young forced to face harsh truth after Hawks trade to Wizards
