Basketball player LeBron James has missed the Cleveland Cavaliers’ next five games while he serves a suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-gravity treadmill protocol.
James, 33, was found guilty of violating the league’s policy which says players must take pre-game stretching and pool sessions every three days.
He joined the Cavaliers in the summer as a free agent and the NBA rule is he cannot play without stretching sessions and pool workouts.
“That isn’t an illness,” James said, in reference to his thigh injury.
“For me, I’m fully healthy. As a basketball player I’m blessed to be out there. I enjoy it. I work hard. I don’t consider my body sick.
“I never will, either. For me, it’s just kind of an understanding of how my body is because I know I’ve got some competitive juices that I want to be able to flow every single day.”
His three-game suspension begins on Friday when the Cavaliers host the Milwaukee Bucks.
James returned from a three-game injury absence on Wednesday but has missed Cleveland’s last five games.