Lebron James first appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 17. By that time, he was already famous.

Since then, he’s become a 4x NBA champion, a 4x MVP, and the leading scorer in NBA history.

He's also raised one son who plays in the NBA and another who's playing at the University of Arizona.

Pretty safe to say he has a good understanding of the pros and cons of youth basketball.

So what he had to say recently caught my attention:

"I think a lot of kids, they burn the heck out," James said on his podcast, Mind the Game. "'I'm gonna just do this one all year round and just play basketball or just play volleyball or just play soccer all year round.' You burn out at 22, 23, 24 because you've just been doing it. Or younger. They just say, 'To h*!! with it. I don't even want to play no more.' I don't think putting a cap on these kids -- they should just be able to explore, man.”

“I've made sure that our kids, and my wife included, have always taken a break," said James. "We've told our kids, 'This is not an all year-round thing for you guys.' One, we don't want you to burn the hell out. And two, there needs to be some family time involved, as well, too."

Well said. We’ve talked quite a bit about the benefits of playing multiple sports. We’ve also discussed the challenges of doing so.

But this is a little different.

Yes, we believe in multi-sport participation. However, some kids really love one sport. It might not make sense to take up a second sport if they don’t enjoy it.

However, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take a break.

Non-stop practice and play are not good for kids. It’s not good for them mentally or physically. As Lebron said, those kids do tend to burn out mentally. Physically, they tend to sustain more injuries. Often, they end up quitting.

Not only that, it’s not good for your family. Do you want your entire family life to be driving your child to and from practices and games? I don’t.

With that in mind, schedule some breaks for your child. Take some time together as a family.

It won’t hurt them athletically. In fact, they’ll come back refreshed mentally and physically.

And it will benefit your family. As parents, we only get 18 years before our kids are adults. Let’s make sure to heed Lebron’s advice and spend some of that time doing things other than sports!

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