LeBron James has long stood apart in the NBA, not just for his physical dominance or longevity, but for the way he entered and ascended through the league.
Unlike most stars of his era, the Los Angeles Lakers icon skipped college altogether, jumping straight from high school into the national spotlight as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now in his 21st season, James is still evolving, but during a recent episode of his Mind the Game podcast with fellow NBA legend Steve Nash, he opened up about how his development didn’t follow a traditional script. In fact, LeBron confessed that early on, he had little to no formal training.
“I didn’t have a basketball trainer until second, third, maybe fourth year in the NBA. Like, my basketball training was just being on the court. Let’s just go hoop. Yeah. Let’s go hoop. 100%. Five on five, or two on two, or three on three,” James explained.
Rather than structured drills or private skill coaches, James shaped his game through pickup games and gritty streetball. The competitiveness, improvisation, and toughness of those sessions formed the foundation of his basketball instincts.
“Basically, it’s one man for himself, and you could be guarded by all your friends. And if I score, I go to the free throw line, I shoot two free throws, and I get it back. And that’s how a lot of creation started with me, being able to dribble around three or four guys, going behind the bag, getting physical with your friends. So it definitely helped me out a lot,” he added.
Doncic opens up about learning from a living legend
James wasn’t the only one opening up during the episode. Joining the conversation was his current Lakers teammate and one of the NBA’s brightest stars, Luka Doncic.
The Slovenian-born guard, recently traded to Los Angeles, shared just how much playing alongside LeBron has impacted him.
“You see, I’ve never played with a guy like this and just being traded to here to L.A., it was different. But, just to play with guys like him, it’s unbelievable. I could learn so many stuff, first of all off the court, all the things he does just to be ready for the game. And obviously, everybody knows what kind of player he is,” Doncic said.
Doncic‘s admiration is telling. A generational talent in his own right, he now finds himself learning from a player who, decades earlier, was crafting his greatness without the privileges of elite coaching or facilities.
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