LeBron James' greatness stems from a freakish, God-given ability that no one else has, according to Dwyane Wade

• Dwyane Wade said LeBron James' sustained greatness is a God-given talent.

• Wade said he has seen James return from a rolled ankle that would keep most players out for weeks.

• Teammates have been wowed by both James' dedication to his body and freakish ability to stay in shape.

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Dwyane Wade has watched LeBron James up-close and doesn't have a very good answer for why James is able to dominate at an age when most players retire.

Speaking on the "I Am Athlete" podcast, Wade said that James' longevity and talent is God-given.

"This dude up there," Wade said, pointing up, when asked by former NFL player Brandon Marshall about James' sustained greatness at age 36.

"I've watched this guy - I've seen him take care of his body, I've seen him own it, 100% - but I also know guys can roll their ankle and be out four weeks. I've seen this guy roll his ankle and come back and give you about 20 points in the fourth quarter. I'm talking about a bad rolled ankle, like, 'Oh, he's done.' He comes right back. I'm out four weeks with this rolled ankle, he comes right back, fourth quarter, scores 20.

"It's like when God made him, he was like, 'I'm gonna give you all of this,'" Wade said before joking that God took away James' hairline in return.

ESPN analyst and former NFL player Ryan Clark said: "[James] left the hospital with more than everybody. His shopping cart of talent when he was born was bigger than everybody's."

Players around the NBA have said James is a fanatic about taking care of his body, whether it's through working out, getting treatment, or eating healthy.

However, former teammate Tristan Thompson also said James has a sweet tooth and that his strict diet is overblown.

"He's really a specimen. He eats like s---," Thompson told The Athletic. "I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn't work out. I started gaining weight and said, "F--- this." I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It's crazy how his body just burns it."

Former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Iman Shumpert said he used to be blown away by James being able to do windmill dunks in practice, even in his mid-30s. Shumpert said he'd ask James, incredulously, "'Bro, you warm already?' ... Don't you got three kids? ... 'You don't feel that in your knees?'"

Of course, as James has gotten older, some of that physical invincibility has worn off. He missed several weeks of action in 2018-19 with a groin injury, and he has been sidelined since mid-March with a sprained ankle.

Then again, the time off may only give him the proper rest to get ready for another deep playoff run.

Watch Wade's comments below:

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