LeBron James has admitted that he wishes he could still act like ‘regular people’ as he reveals the consequences behind his universal superstardom.
The NBA legend – widely regarded as one of the best to ever play basketball – insisted that he was not ‘complaining about it’, but revealed that there are times where his fame can become ‘challenging’.
James sent out a cryptic tweet after the LA Lakers failed to land Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving, who instead was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
James is now just 36 points from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, and with the Californian outfit next in action against the Thunder, the Lakers legend will reportedly be in attendance to pass on the torch.
But the 38-year-old still maintained that having the spotlight constantly shining on him and his life prevents him from being able to so ‘normal things’ off the court.
There is constant media attention and pressure on the shoulders of NBA legend LeBron James
LeBron James admitted his fame prevents him from doing ‘normal things’ off court
James says he wishes he could ‘go to Target’ and ‘walk into a movie theater like regular people’
‘I don’t want to say it ever becomes too much, but there are times when I wish I could do normal things,’ James said to The New York Times.
‘I wish I could just walk outside. I wish I could just, like, walk into a movie theater and sit down and go to the concession stand and get popcorn. I wish I could just go to an amusement park just like regular people.
‘I wish I could go to Target sometimes and walk into Starbucks and have my name on the cup just like regular people.
‘I’m not sitting here complaining about it, of course not. But it can be challenging at times.’
The NBA legend has one of the most famous sporting families in the world, with his son Bronny on the path to following in his father’s footsteps and reaching the NBA.
At the age of just 18, he already has 6.9million Instagram followers and is instantly recognizable to basketball fans around the world.
Furthermore, LeBron’s even younger son Bryce, 15, himself has over a million followers, and is also a basketball star in the making, currently playing at high school with millions keeping a keen eye on his progress.
LeBron’s wife Savannah has close to 2million followers herself, and as a family they have become well-known around the world, recently fronting an issue of Vanity Fair with their incredible family portraits.
James has spoken up about the consequences a life in the spotlight can have
LeBron’s sons Bronny (second left) and Bryce (second right) are also stars in the making
LeBron’s wife Savannah herself has nearly 2m Instagram fans and is instantly recognizable
Meanwhile, James is not the first sportsperson to be vocal of the challenges that professional athletes come across in their careers, despite the obvious perks that come with a career in sport.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka and American gymnast Simone Biles have both taken a break from sport to prioritize their mental wellbeing, while in England cricketers Ben Stokes and Nat Sciver-Brunt have done the same.
While James’ comments do not indicate that he will be following suit, it does further highlight the strains and pressures on a prominent sportsperson’s career that fans might not immediately anticipate.
In his field, there are arguably none better than James, who is the only player in the whole of the NBA’s history to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists.
The 38-year-old is just 36 points shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record
And as such, he has an enormous social media following to match that haul, with some 144million Instagram followers.
His friend and himself a former coach of the game Dru Joyce III told Sky Sports of how the Akron-born star was always aware of the attention that his abilities on the court would bring him: ‘[James] knew how good he was, and he knew the attention would come with it.
‘The things you see now I witnessed at 11-years-old, just on a smaller scale. He’s enhanced his tools and his fundamentals have sharpened – his game has become perfect.’
The Los Angeles Lakers star currently has some 144million followers on Instagram and is one of the world’s most followed sportspeople
And he has also spoken out in the past about the importance of using his elevated platform to advocate and support movements and initiatives to grant them greater coverage.
After last Thursday’s clash with the Pacers, James told the media: ‘Hopefully I made an impact enough so people appreciate what I did, and still appreciate what I did off the floor as well, even when I’m done.
‘But I don’t live for that. I live for my family, for my friends and my community that needs that voice.’
