LeBron James is known for his intense preparation and care for his body, but according to his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson, that may be overstated.
Thompson told The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd in an article full of anecdotes about James that "The King" also eats like one.
"He has the worst f---ing diet ever," Thompson said, adding, "He eats like s---." Thompson said James has a love of sweets and consumes tons of food, but it never seems to affect him.
Here's Thompson's full quote:
He has the worst f---ing diet ever. Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like five French toast, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas. Then he has like a four-egg omelette and then he goes and just f---ing dunks on somebody. It doesn't make sense.
He eats desserts with every meal. He'll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn't make sense. He's really a specimen. He eats like s---. I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn't work out. I started gaining weight and said, 'F--- this.' I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It's crazy how his body just burns it.
Thompson paints a picture of James' diet that's different from previous anecdotes, or James' own description.
In a podcast with Tim Ferriss in 2018, James broke down an example of what he eats in a day. The meals included an egg-white omelet with smoked salmon and gluten-free pancakes with berries, whole-wheat pasta with salmon and vegetables, and chicken parmesan and an arugula salad with a glass of wine for dinner. That's healthier and heartier than how many people eat (James is also 6-foot-8 and 25o pounds), but it's not exactly Tom Brady's diet, either.
James told Ferriss that he avoids sugary drinks and fried food. James' trainer Mike Mancias told Ferriss he tries to help James eat "clean" and organic throughout the year.
James is said to spend over $1.5 million per year on his body, with a home gym, trainers, advanced recovery technology, and more.
As Thompson said, the sweets don't seem to weigh James down. Kyle Korver, who played with James from 2017 to 2018 on the Cavs, told The Athletic that during an off day one season, they did a team cardio relay challenge on a VersaClimber. Korver said they went so hard that he was close to puking on the sideline. James, meanwhile, finished his turn in the relay, picked up a basketball, ran down the court, and did a windmill dunk.
"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen anyone do. It was unbelievable," Korver said. "I was like, 'This guy is from a different world.'"
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