Before the Miami Heat took on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night, head coach Erik Spoelstra took time to speak about superstar LeBron James, who is currently in his whopping 22nd season in the NBA. After the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics, they look to snap a two-game skid against the Lakers as Spoelstra raved about his time with James as both were a part of Team USA in the Olympics.
Spoelstra served as the assistant coach to Steve Kerr on Team USA, where they ended up winning the gold medal as he sang the praises of the 39-year-old for his work ethic. He would express to the media how he wishes the young players of the Heat were around to witness the behind-the-scenes work of James.
“Yeah, I mean, I can't even say it's a surprise because he was so detailed at 26, that doesn't change as you get older, the details of winning matters to him,” Spoelstra said. “You know, I just wish that I could have had all of our young players watch him in the team meetings, you know, every locker and film session, and every franchise is probably saying the same thing. Need to communicate need to be present in these sessions. And LeBron is not fatigued at all in terms of preparation and being involved in all of that, noticing things on film and being an active participant in that, and you want young players to see that.”
Erik Spoelstra on LeBron James and what he saw from him during time at the Olympics. Would mention how he wised his young players could’ve seen the work ethic. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/VTaCmNfrzz
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 4, 2024
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on LeBron James during the Olympics
Spoelstra celebrated the gold medal win with Heat star Bam Adebayo, but as many know, James and the head coach won two championships together in 2012 and 2013 and went to four straight NBA Finals along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He would add to his praise of James by speaking about his experience with him at the Olympics this past summer in France.
“And then secondly, his routine, before in the weight room, he pretty consistently was the first one in the workout room every day, just doing his routine, everything that's keeping him young,” Spoelstra said. “And then after practice. Now that team was star-studded in terms of post-practice routines, and they were all paying attention, you know, seeing what everybody else was doing. But I want, I wish I could have had our young players just come to two or three weeks of that just to see the routine.”
“At 6 am, he was in the weight room, and LeBron was because I saw him in there a few times,” Spoelstra continued. “The few times I actually woke up at six and then that post-practice, and that's really the message to young guys. It's not, you know what's happening at 730 there's a bunch of things that happened beforehand. It's usually three to one, the hours that you put in around the game for you to be able to perform at a high level during the game.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra says LeBron James can play “for another decade”
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Despite James currently in a shooting slump, Spoelstra would say that the Lakers star could play “for another decade” based on his exceptional “IQ” on the floor.
“The size, the strength, and the IQ. He could do what he does with his frame and the way he takes care of himself,” Spoelstra said. “He doesn't have to be the best athlete on the planet, at one time, he was. We're not talking about the best athlete in the association, he’s the best athlete on the planet, arguably, just size, strength, agility, explosiveness, all of those things, agility combined, but at this size, and if he just wants to slow the game down and just play, you know, off of his brain and IQ, he could do that for another decade, I doubt he'll find interest in that, but he could.”
At any rate, Miami is 9-10 before Wednesday's matchup against Los Angeles.
