LeBron James Dishes on Emotional IQ for NBA Longevity: 'Be a F--king Human Being'

LeBron James has sometimes seemed immortal during his NBA career, but he says his humanity is the key to his longevity.

James discussed why he's seen some superstars fall off and said it comes down to their unwillingness to be a decent person behind the scenes.

"When the s--t gets bigger than the cat, you get rid of the f--kin' cat," James told J.J. Redick on their Mind the Game podcast (47-minute mark). "A lot of players, when they're at their peak of performance, they haven't respected authority, they haven't come in and wanted to be a part of the group, but they were averaging 25, 30 or whatever the case may be, and they were the s--t.

"When that stuff starts to dwindle, and the s--t isn't as good as the individual anymore, they get rid of the cat. You see it in sports in general. You have to play the game to play the game. At the end of the day, being a good person shouldn't have to be dedicated to just sports. That's f--kin' life. It's being a good f--kin' person. ... No one's telling you to be fake. Just be a f--king human being."

James is playing in his 21st NBA season in 2023-24, tying him for the second-most in history behind Vince Carter. Barring a surprise retirement this summer, James will tie Carter next season for the most seasons played all time. James is already the league's all-time leading scorer and is fourth on the all-time assists list.

James and Redick did not mention any players by name who weren't able to make the late-career transition, but it's not hard to think of a few names who stand out.