The reporter Brian Windhorst, who has been covering LeBron James since the superstar was in high school, is tweeting and talking about James “cutting carbs” and dropping “significant weight” this summer. LeBron himself made a reference earlier to a diet he was on–and posted a photoshopped pic of his head on what looks like the teenage Wilt Chamberlin’s long slim body. And then this week James posted some pics that make it seem like his diet is pretty severe. (Anyone who has given up carbs will be familiar with this leaner, more angular look James has in the photos below.)
James was listed at 250 lbs last season. That makes him as heavy as any non-center (among elite players) in the league–same weight as the taller Tim Duncan and Blake Griffin, and heavier than Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. There are two theories. One is that LeBron has become such a historian of the game that he wants to pay homage to the more slender style of 70s hoops icons like George “The Iceman” Gervin–who at 6’7″ weighed about a buck-eighty. The other is that LeBron is entering the reality TV game like everybody else–except that instead of Dancing with the Stars, LeBron James is going to show them how it’s done on The Biggest Loser.
