Tristan Thompson says LeBron James 'eats like s---' and has the worst diet ever, but dominates anyway
- LeBron James' former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson told The Athletic that James "eats like s---" and has "the worst f---ing diet ever."
- Thompson said James has a love of sweets, eats copious amounts of food, breaks diets, and still dominates everyone on the floor anyway because his body burns it all off.
- James is said to spend $1.5 million per year on body care, from trainers to recovery devices, but his diet may be one area where he is lax.
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LeBron James is known for his intense preparation and care for his body, but according to his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson, that may be overstated.
Thompson told The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd, in an article full of anecdotes about James, that "The King" also eats like one.
"He has the worst f---ing diet ever," Thompson said, adding, "He eats like s---." Thompson said James has a love of sweets and consumes tons of food, but it never seems to affect him.
Here's Thompson's full quote:
"He has the worst f---ing diet ever. Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like five french toast, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas. Then he has like a four-egg omelette and then he goes and just f---ing dunks on somebody. It doesn't make sense.
"He eats desserts with every meal. He'll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn't make sense. He's really a specimen. He eats like s---. I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn't work out. I started gaining weight and said, 'F--- this.' I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It's crazy how his body just burns it."
Thompson paints a different picture of James' diet than previous anecdotes, or from James himself.
In a podcast with Tim Ferris in 2018, James broke down an example of what he eats in a day. The meals included an egg-white omelet with smoked salmon and gluten-free pancakes with berries, whole wheat pasta with salmon and vegetables, and chicken parmesan and an arugula salad with a glass of wine for dinner. Healthy, and heartier than how many people eat (James is also 6-foot-8, 25o lb), but it's not exactly Tom Brady's diet, either.
James told Ferris that he avoids sugary drinks and fried food. James' trainer, Mike Mancias, told Ferris he tries to help James eat "clean" and organic throughout the year.
James is said to spend over $1.5 million per year on his body, from a home gym, trainers, advanced recovery technology, and more.
As Thompson said, the sweets don't seem to weigh James down. Kyle Korver, who played with James from 2017-2018 on the Cavs, told The Athletic that during an off-day one season, they did a team cardio relay challenge on a Versaclimber. Korver said they went so hard that he was close to puking on the sideline. James, meanwhile, finished his turn in the relay, picked up a basketball, ran down the court, and did a windmill dunk.
"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen anyone do. It was unbelievable," Korver said. "I was like, 'This guy is from a different world.'"
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