National Basketball Association

Lighter LeBron 'can still fly', explains his massive weight loss

Published Sep. 26, 2014 3:16 p.m. ET

foxsports

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - LeBron James changed addresses and teams this summer. He changed his diet, too, cutting out carbs for more than two months.

But as James gets set to begin training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he said dropping the weight was a personal challenge -- something he does "every summer" -- and had "nothing to do with basketball" or the season ahead.

"I'm 29 years old. I can still fly above the rim," James said. "I didn't need to lose weight to do that."

Speaking at the Cavaliers annual media day event, James joked that the speculation about his weight loss and the reasons for it almost drove him to "(write) another letter" to address it.

James has made only a handful of public appearances since his July announcement -- by letter -- that he'd return to the Cavaliers. His weight loss was noticeable at the LeBron James Family Foundation's homecoming event in early August at the University of Akron.

Friday, James admitted to having "chills" at that event. His only other Northeast Ohio appearances have been brief, stopping by a football game at his alma mater three weeks ago and participating in commercial shoots in Akron and Cleveland. He's done few interviews before Friday but told Rachel Nichols in a lengthy interview set to air Friday night that he's down to 250 pounds.

"I had no sugars, no dairy, no carbs," the four-time NBA MVP said of his summer diet in a previous interview. "All I ate was meat, fish, veggies and fruit. That's it. For 67 straight days."

James said the previous summer he'd challenged himself to give up candy and that the idea wasn't much different this time around.

"I am quicker," he said. "So that helps our team."