LeBron: 'I owe everything to that round, orange ball'

As good as LeBron James has been to the game of basketball since being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, the sport he's played professionally for over 14 years has been just as good in return to the superstar.

James turned 33 years old on Saturday and expressed how grateful he was for the game and all it's provided him over the years.

"I mean, listen, man, that round, orange ball that keeps going up and down, that thing has taken me places that nothing else in this world would be able to do," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "So that's why I approach the game like I do every single night.

"That's why I train the way I train. That's why I am who I am. That's why I study the game. Because I owe everything to that round, orange ball that goes up and down and bounces when you're dribbling, since I was 5 years old and my mom brought me a Little Tikes hoop."

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James and his teammates ran through a number of vineyards in Napa, Calif. on Thursday to celebrate, but the Cavaliers are spending his actual birthday in Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena, where LeBron will try to snap a personal six-game losing streak.

The small forward is currently putting up his strongest numbers across the board since rejoining the Cavaliers back in 2014, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. To be in the position he's in, at his age, is something the four-time MVP doesn't take for granted.

"Where I come from, it doesn't matter where your birthday is," said James. "I'm 33 years old, and the way I grew up, not many guys make it past 18. So I'm blessed to be in this position where I am today, and I don't take this moment for granted."