LeBron James' pregame workouts are once again taking the NBA by storm.
And this time, they have nothing to do with weights or a Versaclimber.
If you've attended a Cleveland Cavaliers' game this season -- or simply followed the team on Instagram -- you may have noticed James is now spending a portion of his pregame warmups performing workouts while standing atop a pair of clear plastic bubbles.
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According to Bleacher Report's Tom Haberstroh, the inflatables are known as "Waff Mini Elites" and have helped James overcome the sprained ankle that kept him out of most of the Cavs' preseason last month.
Per Haberstroh, James was introduced to the Waff Mini Elites from his longtime trainer, Mike Mancias.
James began using the Waff Mini Elites this preseason with Mancias after an ankle injury sidelined James in early October. A weak ankle can trigger all sorts of breakdowns in the long chain of body movement. When James plays nearly 40 minutes per game for a battered Cavs squad, he needs that chain to as rock-solid as possible.
As other players get up shots as part of a decades-long routine, you can find James performing the wobbling act as a warm-up of sorts, potentially becoming a threat to Stephen Curry's dribbling routine as the NBA's must-see pregame theater. As the ankle needed strengthening, Mancias and James decided to incorporate the bizarre activity into James' pregame ritual—a most sacred time for a pro athlete.
The Waff pads are the product of French workout specialist Fabrice Gautier, who trains several pro athletes, including NBA players Rudy Gobert, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah. In addition to helping strengthen an athlete's core, the product helps test for deficiencies, letting a player know when he or she may be healthy enough to play again.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the NBA has taken notice of James' routine, which he often performs as a part of his individual workout before team warmups. But as is often the case when it comes to his regimen, the 4-time MVP remains a step ahead of the rest.
