Miami Heat’s LeBron James says he is motivated by rival teams improving

Hello, Brooklyn? Yes, LeBron James is speaking to you.

The face of the league told the Sun-Sentenial today that he’s motivated by rival teams getting better and is ready to defend the Miami Heat’s NBA title:

"“I’ve been back in the gym for a few weeks now, going at it,” James said. “I’ve seen what so many teams have done to get better. I’ve seen the moves that we’ve made, so I’ve got to do my part.” After leading the Heat to a second straight NBA title, James took a brief break to run a high school All-American camp in Las Vegas, made an appearance at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles and then toured China on marketing trip for Nike. The fun ended once rosters began to take shape."

For somebody as talented as James, sometimes you need to create your own motivation – so whatever works, I guess.

James also spoke about newest Heat member Greg Oden, suggesting that they’re not going to put any pressure on the frail, though talented big man:

"“We’re not going to put any pressure on him,” James said of Oden. “He hasn’t played in almost four years. We want him to work his way back into shape. It’s going to take him a while to get back into game shape … We don’t expect anything out of him except being a professional and showing up for work everyday. Whatever we get from his is extra.”"