Shannon Sharpe Responds To LeBron James' Slimmer Body: "Long Story Short, It's Over!"

The Independent

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With LeBron James just a few months shy of his 37th birthday, he's going to have to take extra care and precaution over his body this season.

So far, "King" James has avoided serious injury and has, for the most part, staved off Father Time by proving to still be among the NBA's best players 18 seasons into his career.

This campaign doesn't appear to be any different, either.

Apparently, James has gotten slimmer over the summer, thanks to a busy few months of "training" he's been completely locked in on.

LeBron has been in working hard. The thing that stands out is his fitness level. He’s slimmed up. We all know LeBron studies the greats, and adds things into his game, and I think going into this stage of his career, he’s made a decision to come back a little bit leaner, and I think that’s going to translate into his explosiveness and his quickness. He’s been very, very locked in with his training.

It's certainly interesting news. And, as everybody is questioning what we should expect from him, FOX Sport's Shannon Sharpe doesn't seem to have any doubts that the Lakers star is ready to go for another title run.

"One thing we know about LeBron is that he's never out of shape. I'm a firm believer as we start to age in a pro sport, we should drop a few pounds. Normally, as you get older, and you weigh the same or you weigh more, you're not as fast. So as I felt I was getting older, I need to take some weight off so I can maintain that level of quickness. So I can share this with you: somebody's in a heap of trouble. Long story short, short story long...It's ova!"

Shannon is a notorious LeBron supporter, so it's not exactly breaking news that he's sticking up for the King again.

Still, he's got a point. With James in the latter stage of his career, shedding some pounds and slimming down might go a long way in helping him maintain his quickness and athleticism. It will also help keep him healthier.

No matter how you feel about the guy, the Lakers will need him at 100% if they hope to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.