Looking back, 2020 feels like a strange dream. A distant one, yet heavy enough to fill the room with silence. But really, what could we do? A wild virus hit pause on the world. Still, life moved on—and so did the NBA. With strict rules and empty arenas, the show continued. Yet, for the stars, life meant dorms and hotel rooms. No family, no escape, just isolation. It was tough. However, LeBron James found a way to stay grounded and sane through it all.

Steve Nash was curious to know what the Lakers’ superstar’s lockdown looked like. So, he asked, “Was there something that you remember you had to ship in? I’m not talking like contraband. I’m just talking like books or video—stuff you liked.” Of course, Bron took serious measures to keep himself going in the odd situation.

He revealed on their Mind The Game podcast: “Yeah, I took some books with me. I took my video game with me. But one thing I did ship in—I ordered a wine freezer, okay? A wine fridge. And I ordered a bunch of f—— wine. There you go. I promise you. It kept me sane.” That’s some fancy choice there!

He further shared, “After I drank the wine, I would just line the bottles up on the floor of my room, side by side, and keep the cork in a little container. That was my priority. I would get up every single day, play my video game, stretch in my room, go down to practice, do a little reading, and call home. Family couldn’t come for the first six to eight weeks. Then at night, I would open up a bottle of wine, man. That was it.”

LeBron recalled, “It was like Cast Away vibes,” describing the strict bubble life. At first, the Lakers team stayed isolated, but soon they broke some rules and “just squadded up in everybody’s room and played cards.” Therefore, the bubble forced bonding.  There were no families, just teammates. It got deeply emotional. “It was mental. Mental, mental.” Meanwhile, James Sr. made it clear— “If you couldn’t sustain your focus and your mental wavered a little bit, then the bubble was definitely not for you. It was not for you.”

And while the Los Angeles Lakers team found bonds in confinement amidst LeBron James’s ways to keep himself going, GM Rob Pelinka showed a never-before-seen side to the world. Perhaps it was his way of telling his boys that no matter what happened, he was there. A true leader, after all!

Amidst LeBron James & Co. moments of closeness, Rob Pelinka made unusual moves in 2020

Look, Rob Pelinka has a way of surprising the fans, and we saw it firsthand when he traded for Luka Doncic in February earlier this year. But that’s the extremely professional, general manager way of handling things, right? His ‘human side’ showed up for the team when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Before that, he sent shockwaves in the NBA world by trading for Anthony Davis from the Pelicans. 2020 turned out to be a golden year for the Purple and Gold as they clinched their 17th banner amidst the pandemic-stricken world.

Meanwhile, LeBron James & Co.’s GM, Rob Pelinka, turned into a rebounder and water boy during training sessions. Reports say that his employees witnessed the boss mop up the sweat off the floor at practice. “There’s no task that’s too low that we can’t come in and help,” Pelinka said. “Especially when it comes to our players and their safety and servicing their needs.”

The bubble may have locked them in, but it brought the Lakers’ hearts closer than ever. LeBron James found sanity in wine and video games, while Rob Pelinka picked up a mop to lead by example. Through isolation, they built trust. And in the end, they won more than a title—they won each other.