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Is LeBron James superhuman...............
Tomi
Posts: 643 ✭✭✭
or are steroids making him bigger, faster and stronger when every other player his age just gets worse and worse (including Jordan). The mileage on his body and the level he plays on is just not human. The NBA has a non existent PED policy and I feel he is reaching his legendary legacy with fraud. There are plenty videos on You tube that dig deeper but I just can't get on the James bandwagon. I would love to hear from other members about how they feel about this. I'm not trying to be a hater, but we all saw what Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, etc. did to baseball and I think it's being done right now in basketball without any resistance. Please share your thoughts.
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I recently saw a photo of Lebron shirtless and he had the beginnings of the protruding HGH gut that is plaguing bodybuilding. I think there is a very high probability he is taking HGH.
Of course he is on PEDs. I agree with Dpeck that HGH is the most likely drug he is abusing.
Love the "he eats fruit/veggies and sleeps a lot" line of reasoning. People really will believe anything.
Robb
With steroids and other drugs that build the body there are always side affects that point to the use. The WWE after the Chris Benoit tragedy for a time went to a very intense wellness policy or at least for some part of the roster. Today all one must do is look at Jinder Mahal and it is very clear there is an ability to circumvent it. A guy I know was dating a female WWE wrestler and she got him hooked up with a Dr. out of Tampa and he was having all kinds of things delivered to his house legally. JInder has the worst case of gynomastia you may ever see.
https://www.google.com/search?q=jinder+mahal+gyno&sa=X&biw=1600&bih=783&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=jf2t4kAhEaVwmM%3A%2C5jcIRS5kt6d2sM%2C_&usg=__aY3br17avmzjztIfY5d50ikag3k=&ved=0ahUKEwiz68XGmt3bAhUKeKwKHQgvBYwQ9QEIQDAC#imgrc=jf2t4kAhEaVwmM:
Rtt I shoot for at least 8 hours every night.
Don't know about any of that but dragging that bunch of ragtag YMCA'ers and ham and eggers to the finals was a decent feat, and I'm solidly in the MJ is far better(still) than LeBron. But getting to the finals this year with that bunch was really good IMO and don't mind saying so even if I'm not a fan. Just ran into the current mini hybrid dynasty.
His appearance and Sammy Sosa roidrage screamface aside, he played every minute of multiple games this year. Every. Minute. He is definitely on something. With his notoriety and access, he is probably on something that won't show up with other athletes until Olympics 2024.
Lebron? Meh. He's OK, I guess. However, the perfect human is named Nicklas Lidstrom
Sorry, Bobby Orr begs to differ.
No offense to Orr's accomplishments, but if Bobby Orr were the perfect human, his knees would have held up better/longer.
His accomplishments are records that will never broken. He wasn't voted "the perfect hockey player" for nothing.
Perfect hockey player and perfect human are different things. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Bobby Orr fan. The OP made reference to continuing at a dominant performance level nearly regardless of older age. Quite simply in line with that, Lidstrom fits that description, while Orr does not. That does not mean that Orr could not have potentially done so as well if he had played in the more modern era when we had made orthopedic advancements beyond the treatment available to him in the 1970's, but we will of course never know for sure. My point has nothing to do with arguing over who was the better player, Orr vs. Lidstrom, but instead is made based on Lidstrom being able to keep it up for basically as long as he cared to do so rather than have age or wear-n-tear play factors in forcing his retirement.
Maybe Jagr would then have to be at the top of the list.
there is no chance the greatest player in 30 years is using drugs. Remember it's not like he suddenly got big a la the baseball guys. he came out of the high as a man amongst boys, the highest ranked player ever, and has been in the NBA system since he's 18 and maniacal about his body and fitness.
you all sound a little too much like, "back in my day...." skeptical to accept that we are witnessing easily the 2nd greatest and (possibly greatest by the end of his career) basketball player ever.
I find this statement very naive. I too was naive on the use of performance enhancing drugs. A few years ago I found out that just about every guy I know from my gym is on steroids or HGH or both. It was a real eye opener. These are just your average Joe's that are just trying to look good and in the case of pro athletes there is millions upon millions of dollars on the line as an incentive. Lebron may or may not be clean but the chances are certainly there.
there's no even remote evidence to suggest that he's using. This is a slippery slope because then there isn't a single high performing athlete we can't be skeptical about then. how about Brady playing until 40? How about Derek Jeter's lack of any serious injuries yet getting much bigger himself (compare his rookie picture to his last year)
Here's a random pic i just found from Lebron's rookie year. I don't know about you, but I didn't look like this at 18. Dude is naturally blessed physically
https://www.piop.net/lebron-james-supplements/
Let me see if I can find the other add. This stomach is very suspect for HGH use. Very.
Let’s also not forget there were legions of fans and no shortage of sports writers who insisted Barry Bonds was clean in the face of him being so roided up his head looked ready to pop.
LeBron is a genetic freak that occurs once every billion people. On top of that, everybody knew he was NBA since he was like 12 years old. I'm not saying there's no way he's ever used HGH or anything else like that but we're also talking about the perfect storm where freak genetics met with perfect diet, work out, education, etc, at a very young age. He's the six million dollar man. As a young teen he was able to focus solely on health, physique, nutrition, rest/rehab, you name it.
So while it's possible he's been aided along the way I think it's at least equally possible this is just the result of what happens when perfect nature and perfect nurture collide.
Arthur
No doubt Lebron is an incredible athlete.
That said people become cynical because every time there has been smoke there has been fire.
Not one athlete who has had lots of accusations swirling around them has ended up being clean.
Heck they even have lied under oath.
I feel like I am reading a cycling blog right after Lance Armstrong won his 7th consecutive Tour de France.
Being "naturally blessed physically" and "a genetic freak that occurs once every billion people" are not mutually exclusive of using PEDs. I have no knowledge and not making any insinuation on LBJ. But I would say Lance Armstrong was a phenomenally gifted athlete AND he used PEDs.
Where did I say they were mutually exclusive? I said in my post I'm not ruling out that he ever used anything. But trying to compare Lance Armstrong's natural gifts to LBJ's is kind of a joke. Even at his peak, LA looked just like any other dude walking down the street. LBJ looks like something you build in a garage.
Arthur
I don't even want to know what kind of garages you're going to.
PED use isn’t just for guys with 20 inch arms. On vacation last year in Saint Augustine I wanted to workout and found a gym called Hardcore Fitness to go to. It was brutal and in a warehouse facility with open doors and fans. The name should have been a warning sign and I almost turned around to look for another place when I drove up but life goes on. I was dripping in sweat two minutes in. I don’t recommend the place.
That said they have a lot of MMA fighters that train there and the guy running the place used to fight but stopped for health purposes. He said 90% or more are taking PED’s. Anyone who follows the sport knows tons of guys have been popped at all different weight classes. It is possible Lebron is clean but the chance he is not certainly exists.
My favorite athlete who has probably always been juicing after college and possibly while in went 16 or 17 years undetected passing a multitude of tests. I have come to the conclusion there are just a ton of athletes taking substances with little to no remorse. Fame and fortune are just too tempting.
Try watching the movie Icarus and you will see how intricate the ways of passing drug tests for athletes gets.
Sounds like an interesting movie and will look for it. Thanks for the recommendation.
Brock never passed the eye test with his massive traps and build but plenty of guys that do are still on something.
To me steroids are the most dangerous drug of all. It’s the only drug that makes you look better and improves performance and therefore many can never get off. There have been two very high profile deaths in the past year in bodybuilding and there have been a few guys that have recently decided to shrink to try and have some longevity on this earth. Hopefully more follow.
The subject of NBA physiques....Anybody remember ex Aztec and long time NBA'er Michael Cage? That dude's physique was great also. Built like a brick barn. Nate Thurmond, HOF'er, another that comes to mind.
Here's something interesting. Just read both articles. This goes back years ago.
https://www.totalprosports.com/2013/03/04/lebron-james-link-steroid-clinic-miami-report-incarcerated-bob-video/
http://dystnow.com/2013/03/04/lebron-james-jameer-nelson-linked-to-miami-steroid-clinic/
Whether or not he's using any PEDs, I think it's unfortunate that every time we see an exceptional player in this era, we automatically assume he can't be naturally that good so he must be dirty.
Baseball has done a much better job in recent years at comprehensive testing with strict punishment for anyone found in violation. Perhaps the NBA should implement a similar standard of testing.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Dpeck100
Not sure if you have seen it or not, but Netflix has a documentary called Bigger Stronger Faster. There is a good amount of stuff about wrestling and steroids but it also has a segment that shows the failed drug test of Carl Lewis after his loss to Ben Johnson years ago when he was saying he was clean. They show the actual paperwork of the failed test. The producer's brother pursued wrestling in the WWE and does a segment on him too. Great watch.
LeBron. Never heard of her.
Starting it now. Looks good.
Cramps are also a well known symptom, especially as he described them, he claimed it was “damn near his whole left side.”
No it hasn’t recurred often but stuck out in my mind when it happened.
I knew a lot of baseball players that would have change what they used when certain PED’s caused total body cramps.
Yes, you have the right movie there. It came through Film Fest here and was a big deal, so I am happy to see it went on to get distribution and is apparently on Netflix now. I hope you like it. We sure did.
Got through 48 minutes last night and plan to finish it tonight.
OMG
It is shocking to say the least.
I can't remember what point you may have reached by a little under half way through, but if you are enjoying it so far, it stays equally good if not gets better. Happy viewing!
In the event others want to watch it I won't comment further on the film but will just say that anyone who thinks there aren't people doping in EVERY sport might want to watch this and their view will be changed immediately.
"But trying to compare Lance Armstrong's natural gifts to LBJ's is kind of a joke."
Lance was the national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990 at ages 18 and 19, respectively. I'll compare his natural gifts to LeBron all day long. He is the greatest endurance athlete of our generation, and to suggest otherwise is the "joke".
And as the greatest, he chose to use PEDs. Just like Barry Bonds did. Its not a stretch to say the greatest in other sports might be tempted too.
Unrelated to PED usage but still on the broad topic of what can make a top athlete achieve greatness, with Messi being tied with Pele for GOAT (I absolutely completely understand the implications I am making with that statment!), it makes me wonder just how many fantastic athletes from generations past had derived the push to put them over the top of their peers due to then-undiagnosed autism/aspergers? Considering the advantage that the condition has contributed towards Messi's success, I would definitely wager that more than a couple older superstars had a similar situation.
What a crazy movie. Thanks for the recommendation! Loved it!