LeBron says focus is getting knee healthy by camp

As helium prepares to instrumentality for his 23rd NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James said his precedence is getting his genu steadfast successful clip for grooming camp.

James, 40, said his near genu is feeling "good" aft spraining a ligament successful April, pursuing the Lakers' season-ending nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

James, who spoke to The Associated Press during an interrogation astir starring successful a caller commercialized called "What's Next? for Amazon, emphasized that maintaining his assemblage remains indispensable to performing astatine the highest level.

"I person a batch of clip to instrumentality attraction of my injury, my knee, the remainder of my assemblage and marque definite I'm arsenic adjacent to 100% arsenic imaginable erstwhile grooming campy begins successful precocious September," James told The Associated Press.

James said helium inactive thrives connected the regular grind and hasn't mislaid the hunger to compete; helium credits his wife, Savannah, and their 3 kids arsenic a large crushed wherefore helium continues to propulsion forward.

He's inspired by the accidental to stock the tribunal with his oldest son, Bronny, who plays for the Lakers; to ticker Bryce statesman his assemblage travel astatine the University of Arizona; and to cheer connected Zhuri arsenic she pursues volleyball.

James, who has a subordinate enactment for adjacent play that volition wage him much than $56.2 million, said the champion happening astir his children is they've ne'er pressured him to extremity his career.

"They're similar 'Dad, proceed connected your dream. This is your dream. Continue connected your focus. You've been present for america this full time,'" helium continued. "When you person that benignant of support... it makes it a batch easier."

Last season, helium averaged 24.4 points per crippled on with 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds and was an All-NBA selection.

James knows the extremity of his legendary vocation is coming, but he's conscionable not definite when. He said it would beryllium "insane" if helium stuck astir agelong capable to play with his son, Bryce, who would beryllium draught eligible successful 2026.

"At this constituent of my career, you deliberation astir erstwhile the extremity is. That's quality nature," helium said. "You think: Is it this year? Or adjacent year? Those thoughts ever creep into your caput astatine this constituent of the journey. But I person not fixed it a circumstantial timetable, date. I'm seeing however my assemblage and household reacts, too."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.