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LeBron James has never shied away from displaying his confident side on social media. His post on Instagram today was exactly in line with the self-titled 'King' of the basketball world - a celebration of self that would suit few players other than himself.
The caption reads 'Almost time to come out the Cryogenic Tank and get back to destroying whoever is in front of me. Be Aware!'. LeBron James's post is an allusion to the cryoscopic muscle recovery tank that he has in his Brentwood home in Los Angeles - a contraption used increasingly for muscle recovery by elite athletes.
LeBron James looking to seal his 4th NBA championship
LeBron James's LA Lakers are sitting pretty on top of the Western Conference standings with a record of 49-14 so far. They start off their season restart with a game against arch rivals LA Clippers on 30th July.
LeBron James has a history of self-congratulating himself, and using social media as a tool for motivation. One of his posts of this sort was a childhood picture of him in his high school colours, congratulating himself for breaking the 30,000 points barrier and becoming only the 7th player to do so.
He famously went Zero Dark Thirty to great effect during the 2018 NBA playoffs, stopping the use of all social media for 2 months as the Cavs went all the way to the NBA Finals.
The following season, LeBron James' post for 'Playoff Mode activated' in February 2019 was followed by a couple of embarrassing home defeats that effectively put the LA Lakers out of playoff contention. Despite the backfiring of this move, a GOAT-tier athlete of LeBron James' stature will rarely feel low on confidence, as shown by his post yesterday.
The NBA has much to be afraid of this time around, however. LeBron James is playing with probably the best teammate of his career in Anthony Davis, and he may not even be the best player on his own team this time around. The warning bell has been rung, what remains to be seen is whether other NBA teams can weather the storm.
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