LeBron James is about to enter his 24th season in professional basketball, and the wear-and-tear has shown up in a place fans don’t usually talk about: his feet.
A new set of photos has made the damage hard to ignore. James has spent 23 years in the NBA, and the source material says all those years of running and jumping have seriously deformed his toes. His signature shoes are not being blamed, but the toll of all that mileage is obvious.
The volume of work alone helps explain it. Since NBA player-tracking data began in the 2013-2014 season, James is estimated to have covered more than 2,062 miles from that season through last season, which comes out to 2.36 miles per game. There’s no official count for everything he has logged since entering the league in 2003, but once you add in practices and international competition, the total is massive.
“LeBron’s feet have been through WAR for 24 years 😭”
Even so, the source says the condition doesn’t appear to cause him discomfort. It simply looks that way because of the basketball he has played for so long. That also explains why it’s rare to see him in flip-flops.
The piece also notes that Shaquille O’Neal, James Harden, and Joel Embiid reportedly deal with a similar issue.
Off the court, the story says James gave up a lot of money to leave LA for Philly. The Lakers were prepared to offer him more than $50 million for a year if he stayed, but the four-time champ is now chasing his fifth title. The source says he may have believed he wouldn’t get it in California, which is why he signed a two-year veteran’s minimum with the Sixers this offseason.
Still, the financial hit may not sting too much. The article points to his recent deal with Polymarket as one way he is making up the lost money. And while there’s no word on whether he can fix the damage to his feet, the source makes one thing clear: James is still finding ways to win.
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