So that's why, when he finally got some down time this summer after the season and before his wedding to Savannah Brinson James didn't allow himself to totally step away from the game.
Even while on vacation, and with a notepad at his side, James broke down every Heat playoff game, every moment of their postseason matchups last season against Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana and San Antonio.
When he saw something that wasn't just right, he wrote it down to further analyze later.
"I push myself,'' James said. "There are ways I can get better. I would write down the exact time, the exact play, the exact quarter, the plays where I could have done something better.''
The reality is that James probably is not going to get much better physically. His shooting has improved. He's talked plenty in recent months about becoming a better free-throw shooter. His post game has been reinvented. His defense is exceptional.
Where James is getting better, those around him say, is in the thinking department.
"Some skills may get sharper, but where his growth is going to take off for the next 10 years is mentally,'' Heat forward Shane Battier said. "He's talking about situations now that he wasn't talking about two years ago when I first got here and understanding how to best beat those situations. Everyone always lauds his basketball IQ, but his experience is now really coming through.''
Four MVP awards. Two championships. Two Finals MVP awards. By the end of this season after which he could choose to be a free agent again, though he swears that he doesn't know what will happen next summer he could be among the top 25 scorers in NBA history. Based on jersey sales, there's no more popular basketball player on the planet, something few would have imagined after all the scorn directed his way when he chose to sign with Miami. And he's not even 30 yet.
"He's a special dude,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's always going to continue to stay in a state of uncomfortableness. This summer was a busy summer for him and yet he always finds time to get his work in, his conditioning. He wants to add different elements.''
One thing he added this summer was a diamond-crusted wedding band.
James' wedding finally happened in September, and out of respect to the couple, guests still are leery to talk about many specifics of that night at a San Diego resort. James thought San Diego would be the ideal spot after holding some youth camps there and seeing how the weather, almost without fail, is perfect.
"The best part of the wedding was probably after the wedding,'' James said. "It turned into a party. Basically, that's all it was. It wasn't nothing but a big old party. We gave each other our rings and after that it turned into a big old party with all my friends and family. That's all.''
On Wednesday (NZT) when the season opens, he gets another ring, his second NBA title ring.
And he insists that he'll do whatever it takes for this season to end with another party.
"The man above has given me God-given ability and talent, obviously,'' James said. "I want to take full advantage of it.''
-AP
