‘It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,’ is as cliche as it gets, but there’s a reason it continues to be said to this day. The people who are the best in the world, the ‘overnight success stories’, none of it began the night before. They’re able to lift all those trophies and receive all those accolades because they earned them through years of focus and hard work. Just ask LeBron James.
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LeBron has been in the NBA for 22 years. He recently opted in to the final year of his contract with the Lakers, which means that when he plays his first game of next season, he’ll break a tie with Vince Carter for the most seasons in NBA history. It’s no mystery why, as LeBron has always been maniacal in his devotion to his craft and his body.
At a live taping of his Mind the Game podcast at last month’s Fanatics Fest, LeBron and his cohost Steve Nash spoke about the importance of focusing on the journey and not the destination.
“The process is the only thing that matters to me,” LeBron said. “When you fall in love with the process of what you want to do, and that’s with anything, that’s not just basketball. Whatever you guys are aspiring to do, you have to fall in love with the process. The end result will happen organically, and it will make it so much more worthwhile when you fall in love with the process.”
Working hard to succeed in a team sport is an unselfish act. You’re bettering yourself in order to benefit the team. Nash used his co-host as an example of how being able to adapt to the needs of the team is an important part of the process.
“One thing I’d also like to say that I really admire about LeBron is the way he adapted this season to playing with Luka [Doncic]. That takes a lot of maturity; it takes a lot of sacrifice. He approached this as a gift and an opportunity to make a team as good as it could possibly be.”
Nash admitted that the Lakers fell short in the playoffs, but it wasn’t for lack of trying by LeBron. Luka and he had less than half a season to fit their games together, and the rest of the roster just wasn’t up to snuff anyway. LeBron often had to play as a small ball 5 due to there being no reliable center on the team, for example.
The Lakers still ended up as the 3-seed in a loaded West, due in large part to the way LeBron and Luka (and his former podcast cohost and current head coach JJ Redick) were able to adapt to their post-trade deadline situation. LeBron still made Second Team All-NBA; his 21st straight All-NBA selection.
“It’s not like his numbers dipped,” Nash said. “He just did it in different ways. But that’s hard for players who have played 22 years in the league.”
With a full offseason to plan and build around LeBron and Luka, the Lakers will be better positioned to make a run next year. They’ve already signed Deandre Ayton to fill the hole at center, and the added time that LeBron and Luka have to find their on-court chemistry will only help.
