LeBron James woke up many aspiring athletes and their parents as he talked about the dangerous trend of taking up a single sport during childhood. The Los Angeles Lakers star addressed the issue during his appearance on Mind The Game podcast, along with teammate Luka Doncic. James gave his own example from his childhood and explained how his upbringing was different from that of kids today.
LeBron James on kids playing a single sport
Talking about the current generation and how they pursue sports from a young age, LeBron James told Steve Nash on Mind The Game podcast, “Me and my guys, we ran track and field as well, when we were like super-duper young,” said James. “We played football all the way through high school. We didn’t just cap it at one thing and just [do] one thing all year round. I think a lot of kids, they burn the hell out,” he added.
Social media reacts to LeBron James’ statement
James’ concern was echoed loud and clear as his comment made its way to Reddit. Several users weighed in, expressing how it is indeed a serious issue among young athletes. A Reddit user reacted to James’ comment, “And it’s not just kids getting burnt out, but kids aren’t getting proper cross-training from playing multiple sports year round, and are only training/wearing down the muscles and ligaments used for basketball.” Another said, “Too many parents are seeing dollar signs and push their kids to concentrate on a sport in hopes of the kid going pro and making millions and end up getting their kid hurt.”A Reddit user also wrote, “They’ve looked at who becomes champion in individual sports (like track) and found those who specialize early are not more likely to become champs than those who do various things.” Another comment read: “Was hoping someone would bring this up about stressing the same muscles and wearing down for injury.”Giving an example, a Reddit user said, “At this rate football is the only major sport that isn’t like this and that’s only because getting hit year-round would probably kill some kids and cause brain damage to the rest.”Also Read: Luka Doncic was shocked to see LeBron James arrive 10 hours before a game: “I have never played with a guy like this”LeBron James has three children. His eldest son, Bronny James, joined him on the court as part of the Los Angeles Lakers and fulfilled his father’s dream. His younger son, Bryce James, recently had his convocation ceremony. He also plays basketball and is now committed to the University of Arizona. James’ daughter, Zhuri Nova, is just ten and plays volleyball at present.
