When LeBron James feared his NBA dream being torn off because of his height concerns: “My dreams are shattered, that's how it made me feel"
LeBron James of the LA Lakers once had concerns that his NBA career might never happen after one doctor's assessment. James' dreams of being in the big leagues almost didn't happen because of one inaccurate statement.
When the 18-time All-Star was 11, he had a routine sports checkup. James was healthy and didn't show signs of having physical problems that could've prevented him from pursuing the sport. He didn't have any vices, either. After the checkup, he received some worrying news that put his dreams into jeopardy.
According to an article by cleveland.com, the doctor who conducted the four-time champion's physical informed the youngster that he'd only grown to 6-foot-3. Based on James' accounts, he doesn't remember the name of the doctor who told him this. But the incident left a mark on him and his drive to be the best.
"When your idols are Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway, you're like (expletive)," James said. "You're looking on the back of basketball cards, and it says MJ, 6-6; Penny Hardaway, 6-7 1/2; Grant Hill, 6-8. You're like, 'I'm only going to be 6-3? Golly. My dreams are shattered.' That's how it made me feel."
At age 11, LeBron was already 5-7, a decent height at that age for someone wanting to pursue a professional basketball career. The four-time MVP knew he was on the right track at that age, just based on his impressive height. When asked, however, how he'd fare against competition if he stopped growing at 6-3, he gave an answer only a player like James would.
"I'll still be the same player," James said. "I'll just probably be shorter. I'm not sure I'd still have that athleticism as far as how I jump, but as far as my intelligence, my basketball IQ, that wouldn't have changed at all."
Good thing for the Lakers superstar, his height didn't stop at 6-3, instead he grew taller and is now listed at 6-9.
LeBron James' health is starting to become a problem
LeBron James has always been one of the healthiest players in NBA history. This allowed him to have an incredibly long career, being a torchbearer for a healthy lifestyle. But it all started to go down after arriving in Los Angeles in the summer of 2018.
In his first season with the Lakers, he played only 55 games and had to sit out the remainder of the season by March 2019 due to a groin injury. This was the first time that fans saw King James on the sidelines after maintaining an injury-prone career. He bounced back the following season by winning the title, but only played 67 games.
In his next two seasons with Los Angeles, LeBron James played 101 games and was on the bench for most of those seasons. His health has played a huge part in his success. It's starting to hinder him from being a key contributor for the Lakers this season.
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Joseph Schiefelbein