According to a tweet from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, LeBron James has been cutting carbs this summer in an effort to slim down. The results are already evident, as James looked slimmer than ever in a recent Instragram post.

LeBron James decided to cut carbs this summer & dropped significant weight as tweeted photo shows: http://t.co/bpbGvYi5Bx

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) August 4, 2014

It isn’t unusual for a veteran NBA player to drop weight in an effort to prolong his career, but James’s style of play involves cruising to the basket and enduring bruising contact. James’s big, muscular build is one of the reasons he has remained so durable throughout his career, missing only 19 games due to injury over 11 NBA seasons.

Weight loss could also help reduce wear and tear on James’s knees, helping him to stay at the top of his game and avoid ending up like former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade, whose bad knees caused him to play a career-low in minutes per game last season.

James acknowledged his new diet and slimmer look in a different Instragram post from a few days ago.

We would not recommend the LeBron summer diet for high school or college athletes. Carbs are a crucial energy source and help build muscle. You’re better off cutting out bad carbs, such as potato chips, soda and sugary cereals, and increasing your intake of good carbs, such as are found in certain fruits and whole wheat grains.

RELATED:

• No Carbs Equals No Energy
• Why Carbs Aren’t the Enemy