Basketball star, businessman and philanthropist LeBron James is one of the NBA's best-paid players and he has three championship rings and a history of shattering basketball records.
With all that under his belt, if James could give his teenage self a piece of advice, what would it be?
Nothing, James says.
"I don't want advice, and the reason I don't want advice is because every experience is a teacher," James explained during an interview that has since gone viral after being tweeted Monday by Bleacher Report.
"Every experience that you have is the best teacher in life," James, 33, says. "You could read books, you could have great parents, you could have great mentors, but in order for you...to be able to tackle something, you have to go through things."
James has certainly had his fair share of experiences, and his rise to NBA stardom included highs and lows: He grew up in the projects in Akron, Ohio before being drafted to the Cavaliers in 2003. The experience of having to work hard despite obstacles has likely contributed to his admirable work ethic, which has in turn, made him a highly sought after player.
"So all the experiences that I've had along the way since I've became known at 15, all the way to my age now. There's been bumps, there's been bruises, there's been good, there's been bad, there's been obstacles, but I've learned how to deal with them because I experienced them," James says in the clip, which has since garnered over 700,000 views and upwards of 30,000 likes.
James is living proof that his experiences have certainly shaped who he is. His recent decision to open a new public school (with the promise of free college tuition upon graduation) in Akron for at-risk children initially came from an idea inspired by his own childhood experience of missing 84 days of school in fourth-grade due to constant moving. Another experience that shaped him? As a kid, James says biking was the only way to get around his city. So now, he's giving free bikes to 240 young students.
"It's hard to go off of somebody else's experience," James says. "I could tell you guys, I could try to coach you guys, and me being a parent, that's what I'm doing with my kids right now. I could give them the blueprint, but at the end of the day, they're going to have to travel their own road."
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