Hours After Missing the All-Star Game, LeBron James Posts Workout Videos with Adorable ‘Training Partner’ Zhuri

Joseph Galizia | 18/02/2025
LeBron James and Zhuri James

LeBron James surprisingly sat out for the highly-anticipated All-Star game due to his lingering ankle issue, ending a 20-year streak of playing in the annual contest. His decision was met with criticism from fans and analysts because the Lakers superstar waited till the very last moment to withdraw from the event, which didn’t allow the NBA ample time to call up another player to replace him.

So as he was being flamed on social media for costing someone an All-Star spot, James shared some adorable videos on his Instagram stories earlier today of him working out alongside his daughter Zhuri. The 10-year-old adorably copied every single exercise her father did.

The duo started by doing pushups on dumbbells, and then gradually moved to other sets. The four-time NBA Champion kept a watchful eye on his daughter when they both balanced their bodies on gym balls. The videos certainly made for beautiful father-daughter moments.

 

While some of LJ’s exercises were strength training, he did do some exercises that required him to put weight on his injured ankle, adding fuel for the critics who say he should have played yesterday.

To be fair, James did mention during the post-All-Star game presser that the ankle injury has been something he’s been dealing with for years. He also told the media that he was headed right back to LA to rebab, with the hope that he could be available to play this Wednesday.

James also missed the Lakers’ victory over the Pacers a week ago due to the same ankle issue.

LeBron James is facing backlash

LeBron is mainly receiving flak for taking an All-Star spot from another deserving player, especially if he knew ahead of time that he’d be sitting the All-Star game out. One X user named Fantasy Magic joked that the video of him and Zhuri working out was a massive PR move for James to regain some sympathy.

Fantasy Magic wasn’t alone. Another user, known as Pearnivore, joked that he wanted to just “hate James in peace” for missing the All-Star game, but implied that the video of LeGOAT working out with Zhuri was sweet.

The comments were not all negative. A user known as Klawuniverse wrote, “we tryna hate on him for missing on the all star game but now we getting footage of him being a good dad I don’t even feel like hating anymore.” Several others had similar viewpoints of the future Hall of Famer being a great father to Zhuri.

Regardless, James will be looking to finish out the 2024-2025 season strong — and is hopeful that the addition of Luka Doncic will help the Lakers survive in the tough Western Conference.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
LeBron James Lebron James Daughter Los Angeles Lakers

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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