'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James is regarded as one of the best players in the game's history. Given that he has immense talent from the get-go, his hard work and dedication from his childhood play a huge role in how he developed. His journey as a young baller has paid off, thanks to a Christmas gift he got from his mother.
In the spirit of Christmas, a post about James' childhood went viral. The picture features a three-year-old LeBron with a mini hoop. It foreshadowed what he would be in the future. The Lakers star shared the image on his Instagram story and had an interesting caption.
According to James, his mother, Gloria, tried to lower the rim for her son. Funny enough, that gave the four-time MVP to practice his dunking skills at an early age and dominate the kid's hoop.
"Moms tried lowering the rim and I went (ape s***)!! she put it back at the highest it could go! Only child chronicles!" James captioned.
After fans saw this, they couldn't help but be in awe of his early childhood grind with the hoop. Here are some of the best reactions.
The gift he received all worked out for James and his mother as he turned out to be one of the best players in the world.
You might also be interested in reading this: "Kinda on the fence": LeBron James doesn't mince words on replay review rule, citing block on Jayson Tatum
LeBron James uses health as an excuse for Christmas Day loss
The Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics 126-115 on Monday night after a subpar performance from LeBron James. The 19-time All-Star finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, which wasn't enough for the team to win.
There were instances where some calls weren't in their favor. Late in the second quarter, James blocked Tatum but veteran official Scott Foster called a shooting foul on the star. The Lakers challenged the call, and it was changed to a foul on Turean Prince.
James talked about the reason for the Lakers' struggles. Los Angeles is 2-6 since winning the NBA Cup.
"I don’t think we’re healthy right now," James said. "I don’t think we are where we want to be to compete versus the top teams. Until we continue to get better and better, work on our habits, for us we’re still trying to figure our situation out as far as how we want to attack each game. We’ll be better."
It was a strange comment from James as the only player on the injury list was Gabe Vincent, who's scheduled to undergo surgery. The Lakers will have to look further into what they are dealing with this season.
