LeBron James lays out his daily routine in Ep. 3 of Starting 5, Netflix’s documentary about the lives of five NBA players.
James’ gameday ritual starts at 6:30 a.m. for a 7 p.m. game. He likes to get to the arena before 8:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. shootaround. At 8:45 a.m., he gets cold plunges for 10 to 15 minutes and gets out on the floor at 9:40 a.m. for a 20-minute workout.
Shootaround usually ends at 11 a.m. James sleeps about 12 hours daily, including a nap from 12 to 2 p.m. He works on his core muscles at the arena by 2:30 pm. “We go hard,” said Mike Mancias, his longtime trainer. “That sets the tone for the evening.”
James then warms up on the court at 3:15 p.m. He stretches and gets a message around 4 p.m. He’s back on the floor at 6:45 p.m. and throws the talcum powder at 6:59 p.m. Tip is at 7:10 p.m.
Netflix introduces Anthony Edwards with an interview from his Lamborghini. In it, he says he doesn’t look up to anybody and wants to cook LeBron one on one. It’s pure Ant: brash but lighthearted.
Ep. 3 opens with him during one of his workouts. In it, Edwards admits he used to just show up and hoop. But he has started to value stretching, working out, and eating better. “I want to play for a long, long time in the NBA,” Edwards said. “That’s all I want to do.”
Edwards may want to cross James over, and he trash-talked Kevin Durant in the playoffs last year. Still, he respects Mike Conley, who is entering his 18th season. Edwards treats him like an uncle in a way only he can.
“Y’all wanna ask me about Mike? Bite Bite?” Edwards asked the media as Conley entered the room after Minnesota’s Game 4 win in Dallas last year.
“Bite Bite is old as f—,” Edwards said, cutting an inquisitive reporter off. “He was getting downhill, laying the ball up, so shout out to Bite Bite. He’s coming in here with these clown pants on, so y’all about to see him in a minute.”
Conley is still playing at 37 because he started taking care of his body when he was young. In a KFAN interview with Dan Barreiro, Conley said his father would fill baths with ice to help him recover. That wouldn’t be unusual, given Mike Conley Sr. is a former Olympic athlete.
Except Mike Jr. was 10 when he first took the plunge.
Still, Conley’s early dips into a cold tub have helped extend his career. It may have been at a Best Western after four AAU games, but it set a foundation of recovery for one of the NBA’s ageless players.
“I feel good,” Conley said before Minnesota’s opener in LA. “I honestly don’t feel like it’s Year 18, physically.
“It’s weird because I’m sitting back [asking], Should I listen to what people are saying?” he added. “Should I get older this year, or should I get worse this year? I don’t know. I don’t feel like I am. I still feel the same.”
Conley’s routine isn’t as detailed as James’. Still, they equally value a good night’s sleep.
“Sleep is one,” he said. “Getting a lot of rest.”
“Two is what I eat,” he added. “The times I eat. Waking up early, making sure I don’t miss my morning meal. My meal before I take a nap, before the pregame bus. As far as getting my body ready, it’s the stretching, it’s the lifting, it’s the physical nature of the game that I might not have thought about in Year 1 or 2.
“You’re just thinking, just go out there and hoop. Now you’ve got to really be sweating two hours before the game and getting your muscles ready to go to prevent any injury.”
Conely said he started to establish his pre-game routine in Year 3. Damon Stoudamire and Mike Miller were veteran teammates Conley looked up to, and they built on the foundation of self-care Conley’s father established for him.
“They kind of almost forced me into a consistent nature,” said Conley. “You’ve got to do this, this, and this. You’ve got to watch this much film. You’ve got to prepare this way. You’ve got to eat the right way. All that stuff is part of your routine now.”
Now Conley is doing that for Edwards and his younger teammates. Edwards is entering his fifth year in the league and has already made two All-Star teams. Still, he can unlock his untapped potential if he maximizes his raw athleticism. It starts with a good night’s rest and eating right.
Edwards may be late to the recovery game. But at least he never had to take an ice bath at a Best Western.
