MNN - Mother Nature Network

Despite tremendous wealth that could provide him with a different luxury car to drive every day of the year, NBA star LeBron James has increasingly turned to his bike to get him around the city of Miami. 

 

The 27-year-old star of the Miami Heat has been spotted more and more biking to NBA games - a love for two wheels apparently dating back to his childhood. 

 

"Even when he was 9, it didn't matter how chaotic or confusing life was going to be as long as he could ride his bike and join a game," wrote ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg in a profile earlier this year. "It didn't matter if he wasn't sure where he was going to sleep; if his mom, Gloria, was going to tell him to pack up and move yet again. On a basketball court, he was always going to be picked, made to feel like he belonged, because he understood the game in ways that others did not."

 

According to the Sun Sentinel, James' initial bikes to practice earlier this year appear to have kickstarted his new habit. Miami's complimentary weather no doubt also plays a factor. 

 

"At some point this season, he occasionally began riding his bicycle to practice instead of driving," writes Shandel Richardson. "Then it turned into riding to morning shootarounds. And then games. Suddenly, James was spending more time on the bike than driving around in expensive cars. The added conditioning is why he seems to have no problem logging 42 minutes in the most routine of games."

 

Indeed, James has added biking to his overall cardio program. "I got lights on my bike,’ he says. ‘I’m serious. This isn’t a joke. Of course, safety first."

 

Asked if people recognize him, James says yes - but only for a moment. "People try to stop me but I’m in a zone," he adds.