Candid Interview with Lebron James
Posted by Ganon Baker at 10:09 am
Candid Interview with Lebron James at the 2010 Lebron James Skill Academy
Every year I have a chance to work the Lebron James Skill Academy in Akron, OH. We get a chance to work out the top 80 players in the country in H.S., and have a chance to spend some time with Lebron on and off the court. Below is an interview he did with Jay Bilas of ESPN this year
Question 1
Jay: “How did life change when you became famous?”
Lebron: “As a person it did not change me. I’m still the same person now, as I was when I was broke. I have just worked harder because there is so much higher expectations I put on myself. I have gotten wiser and made better decisions.”
Question 2
Jay: “Where do you think you get your determination from?”
Lebron: “From my mother. She had me when she was 16, she had to grow up fast. I can remember from the time I was 9-12 or 13, it would seem like we would move every month to two months. We would sometimes have 1 meal a day. I’d come home from school and we would have no heat. Sometimes there would be roaches in the cookie boxes. But we moved forward. We survived. She would not let us fail.”
Question 3:
Jay: “What do you know now, that you wish you would have known back in H.S.?”
Lebron: “Well to have more fun. Now we had fun in H.S. and I would like to think we cherished every moment and enjoyed the process. When you get to the NBA its still fun but it’s a JOB. Its competitive, there is a lot more at stake, a lot more distractions and sometimes I think “Did I embrace H.S.?” Also, I wish I would have studied business more. The stock market, economics, stuff like that. But who does that in HS, you know? All I wanted to do was play ball, hang out with friends, and talk tot girls. My word to you young guys is be SAFE with your money, save it, invest it, don’t be careless with it. So many NBA guys waste their money.
Question 4:
Jay: “Who is your financial trustee?”
Lebron: “Warren Buffett is my financial advisor. His last advice he gave me about money is to trust my gut. 9 times out of 10 your first thought is your correct thought and right action. The more you think about something the more you will begin to cloud your judgment.”
Question 5:
Jay: “We all know Jay Z is one of your boys, what’s the best advice he gave you?”
Lebron: “Was to keep working and don’t look back. He grew up in Marcy projects, poor like me. No one gave him a chance to move forward. I can do anything!”
Question 6:
Jay: “What does working hard mean to you?”
Lebron: “Well what does that mean? Work hard at what? So many coaches say “we got to work hard” but they don’t specify… to me its work hard on defense, fulfill your potential as a player. Whatever you are doing at the moment do it with all the energy you got.”
Question 7:
Jay: “What is the typical offseason?”
Lebron: “I take 2 months of from the court. During those 2 months I might cross train to stay in shape, Pilates, off road biking, yoga… I then go into my summer workout with lifting, stretching, skill work, playing pick-up Monday-Friday. I might go 3-4 hours a day.
Question 8:
Jay: “What do you enjoy doing off the court?”
Lebron: “I love to play softball, xbox 360, and NBA 2k 2010. I won a championship with Oklahoma City thunder and now I’m the Lakers trying to win. I also gamble but I don’t recommend it to young people (ha ha)
Question 9:
Jay: “What are your future goals?”
Lebron: “Simply to get better and win a championship.”
Question 10:
Jay: “What is your game day routine?”
Lebron: “I go to shoot around 10-11am. Then I come back to nap for 4 hours 12pm-4pm. I eat a light meal of rice and chicken or fish at 4pm. I then head to the gym at 5:30 for an 8pm game.”
