Lonnie Walker on LeBron James: His work ethic is unmatched

George Karl: LeBron has done so much for our Game. And we are all grateful for it! And it’s time for him to ride into the sunset as a player. 🙏 -via x.com / December 10, 2024

Lonnie Walker: I’ve been around a lot of pros, Hall of Famers like LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. But for his age, LeBron’s work ethic was on a whole different level. He didn’t play any games, man. Every day at 8:00 a.m., he was working. He was hungry, like he was a rookie again, like it was his first year. You’d think he had nothing left to prove—he’s the GOAT—but he acted like he had everything to prove. On off days, he worked. When there was no practice, he worked. He was the first one in the gym and the last player to leave. He did everything necessary for recovery—cold tubs, massages, icing his knees, ankles, and back. Even during games, at halftime, he’d ice his entire body. He had a level of attention to detail and discipline I’ve never seen. He put his ankles in recovery boots and managed every aspect of his diet and body care with precision. His habits and commitment to the game were unlike anything I’ve witnessed. He didn’t slack off, and he never took a day off. There was a method to his madness. -via YouTube / December 10, 2024

To promote its upcoming quintet of Christmas Day games, the NBA has re-engineered its most popular television commercial ever, “Jingle Hoops,” with a current-day animated version entitled “Jingle Hoops Regifted.” -via Sports Business Journal / December 10, 2024

Lonnie Walker: Coming overseas, my agent was saying, “You can do two things: stay home and work out, hoping you stay conditioned—we all know there’s nothing like on-court conditioning—or there were a couple of options.” For example, I was going to get paid a lot of money in China, but I was like, “Listen, I’m not trying to go there yet, not down that route.” Then I had a couple of calls with some teams, and my agent talked to a few EuroLeague teams, such as Real Madrid. People have seen and heard about that. My first overall goal or objective was to get back to the NBA. Most teams weren’t offering me an NBA clause to go back, or if they did, it was such a high amount that it would be harder to get out of that situation. -via YouTube / December 10, 2024

Lonnie Walker: I don’t know if it was God or who answered my prayers, but the city of Kaunas and Coach Andrea (Trinchieri)—when we had our first Zoom call—everything I could have asked for from a coach was there. He understood my goals, what I wanted to become, and even the idea of getting back to the NBA. The first thing he said was, “Yo, you deserve to be in the NBA, and I’m going to try everything in my power to get you back there. But not only am I trying to get you back to the NBA, I want you to reach your best self. I want you to be a defensive stopper. I want you to add more aspects to your game and show what you can do.” -via YouTube / December 10, 2024