Miami Heat superstar LeBron James—the dominant player in his sport and one of the most influential athletes on the planet—pulls back the curtain on his life and career in this exclusive interview with Boca Raton.
Photo Courtesy of the NBAThere is no game today, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been work. LeBron James has just completed drills alongside Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and his Mi-ami Heat teammates at American Airlines Arena.
As he walks from the practice court that sits hard alongside Biscayne Bay and into a hallway, sweat drenches his red jersey and drips to the floor. Outside of another door, to his right, are dozens of basketballs that need to be autographed, part of the team’s annual “signing day,” an assembly-line process that accounts for much of the Heat’s memorabilia donations.
Few athletes in the world understand the corridors that run between work, obligation and personal life better than the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, who, at age 29, is trying to lead the Heat to a third consecutive league championship. He’s also a recently married father of two (both sons, with wife Savannah Brinson), a dedicated philanthropist and a Madison Avenue icon (Sports Illustrated ranked him No. 2 behind boxer Floyd Mayweather on its 2013 list of the highest-earning pro athletes, with a combined $56.5 million in salary and endorsements).
Though the demands on his time—on this and every day—are considerable, James is firmly in the moment. The native of Akron, Ohio will thoughtfully answer questions on a variety of topics, many of which have little to do with basketball.
Occasionally, there are brief pauses, as if the nine-time All-Star is formulating a course of attack against Kevin Durant, Kobe Bry-ant or Carmelo Anthony. There seemingly is as much meticu-lousness to this process as to his ultimate passion.
The man known as King James is both soft spoken and well spoken as he opens up to Boca Raton about life on and off the court.
To continue reading, please pick up a copy ofthe February Boca Raton magazine.
