How Disney CEO Bob Iger Inspired NBA Star LeBron James
Bob Iger is the current chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, thus making him one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries. His status is the result of a long and successful career, which saw him starting out at ABC in 1974 before making a smooth transition when it was bought out by Disney in 1996, culminating in him succeeding Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005 in a move meant to reconcile feuding factions among the corporation’s stakeholders. Under him, Disney has seen a remarkable revival in its fortunes, as shown by a massive expansion in East Asia with the opening of both Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort in 2005 and 2016 as well as the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, and Lucasfilm in 2006, 2009, and 2012.
As a result, it is no wonder that Iger is seen as not just one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries but also one of the most respected people in the same, which in turn, means that he possesses enormous influence over a wide range of topics for a wide range of people. However, it is entertaining to note that while Iger’s enormous influence is a matter of well-known fact, it can sometimes show up in the strangest of ways, with how Chris Paul and LeBron James were inspired by his exercise routine being a prime example.
What Is Bob Iger’s Exercise Routine?
In brief, Bob Iger’s exercise routine consists of him getting up at around 4:15 in the morning at his home in Brentwood, Los Angeles so that he can get started on a cardio machine called the VersaClimber within ten minutes or so. For people who are unfamiliar with the cardio machine, it is the leading brand of vertical climbers, which resemble nothing so much as slanted poles with a pair of handles for the hands and a pair of pedals for the feet so that users can go through the motion of climbing upwards at a slight incline.
As a result, it is one of the best cardio machines for burning fat, but at the same time, also one of the most demanding cardio machines out there, so much so that a lot of people in excellent shape will nonetheless refuse to put up with more than 20 minutes of the experience in a single session. For comparison, Iger spends 45 minutes on the VersaClimber each morning from 4:15 am to 5:00 am from Mondays to Fridays, which is not just a remarkable demonstration of his fitness but also a remarkable demonstration of his willpower.
Iger’s exercise routine is even more impressive in light of two things. First, he was born on February 10 of 1951, meaning that he is keeping up this routine in spite of the fact that he is more than 65 years old. While people who eat the right foods and follow the right exercise routines can slow the process to some extent, the loss of muscle is an inevitable part of aging, causing people to become slower and less powerful.
Second, Iger has had a knee replacement, which is not that unusual because of how the progressive loss of cartilage in certain joints such as the hips and knees can cause pain, inflammation, and other even more serious problems. While prosthetic knees have seen a great deal of advancement in recent times, it is nonetheless evidence that Iger is not immune from the usual symptoms of age but is nonetheless overcoming them in order to continue following his exercise routine of choice.
How Did Bob Iger’s Exercise Routine Inspire LeBron James?
As it turned out, Iger happened to be friends with Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers guard. When Iger told him about his exercise routine, Paul became inspired and then sought out LeBron James before starting to vertical climb on a pair of VersaClimbers. They took a picture of themselves doing so before sending it over to Iger, who commented that he has been doing verticle climbing for years. Something that is known because the man has been dedicated to his exercise routine ever since he discovered the cardio machine at a gym in New York City all the way back in 1994, which speaks volumes about his willpower. Whether Chris Paul and LeBron James will manage to do the same over a similar length of time remains to be seen, but whatever the outcome, it is sure to be interesting.
On a concluding note, it is worth noting that Iger’s 45 minutes on the VersaClimber is just the start of his schedule from Monday to Friday. After he finishes up with his vertical climbing, he gets ready to go to work, with the result that he sometimes manages to get to his office on the fifth floor of Disney headquarters by 6:30 am. For comparison, this is earlier than when most people manage to leave their homes for the morning commute, seeing as how a fifth of the population get out of bed before 6:00 am while another fifth of the population get out of bed sometime between 6:00 am and 6:30 am. Afterward, Iger oversees the operations of a multi-billion corporation with an international presence as well as 180,000 employees on its team, which means a great deal of responsibility and thus a great deal of pressure.
Finally, he spends a great deal of time traveling from place to place on Disney’s corporate jet, so much so that his staff estimates that he has spent a year’s time in the air over the course of his 5 years as COO and 11 years as CEO of the corporation, though to be fair, Iger claims that air travel is actually a restful and relaxing time for him because he uses it for his hobbies and other interests. Regardless, given that Iger is managing to keep up such a punishing exercise routine while also shouldering the burden of leadership so well at such an advanced age, it is no wonder that he has managed to inspire LeBron James, who is a remarkably impressive figure in his own right.