“Come Down at These Parties”: LeBron James Regrets Missing Out on Partying with Friends, But Shrugs it Off as Necessary Sacrifice

LeBron James and JJ Redick surprised fans on Monday by announcing their latest collaborative podcast, ‘Mind the Game.‘ In the podcast’s first episode, Redick and James deliberated on the question, ‘What makes a great basketball player?’ James is perhaps in the best position to answer this question in the NBA, having played 21 seasons in the league with a resume adorned with four NBA championship rings and 20 All-Star selections. However, to reach this stage of his career, the Lakers superstar had to implement an insane amount of discipline and perseverance over the years.

After high school, James declared for the NBA Draft as an 18-year-old, when most of his buddies were looking to attend college programs. As a rookie, LBJ had a lot of expectations to live up to, since he was touted nationwide as ‘The Chosen One.’ James had to miss out on some experiences that his friends were having.

“I got my best friends from high school who’re now in college…They are calling me, telling me, ‘Bro, you gotta come down to these parties. You’re not going to college, you’re never gonna be in college,'” James told Redick.

Well, it did hurt a young LeBron James, who was missing out on the quintessential college experience. But he decided to make the sacrifice anyway. “And I couldn’t do it…I look back on it, I wish I could have done a few, I’m not gonna lie,” added the 4x NBA champion, with a tinge of regret. However, that regret never seemed to matter in the long run.

LeBron James’ discipline has helped him elevate his game to an all-time level. It’s this discipline that has earned him his legendary durability and the incredible consistency to collect 40k points in the Association.

LeBron James taught his son’s basketball team a lesson about sacrifice

Besides being a great player, LeBron James is also a doting father to his kids. He expects his kids to inculcate the same values as him in their lives to achieve great things. In 2018, the Lakers star spoke to the North Coast Blue Chips before a summer game and told them about the importance of sacrifice for the team in a powerful speech.

According to Give Me Sport, James used examples of the greatest NBA players in history to explain his point. The NBA superstar said,  “Hall of Famers and some of the best players to ever play the game came off the bench – or didn’t play. That don’t mean you ain’t good. There’s guys in the NBA that don’t play. Does that mean they’re not good? They got to the NBA because they were sorry? They’re just playing a role.” 

He further told the kids that if players don’t like the role assigned to them by their teams, they should go play an individual sport instead. All of LBJ’s words definitely comes from his years of experience and the sacrifices he made for his teams, which has led to the accolades that adorn his cabinet today to complement his glorious career.