NBA News: LeBron James Details What Made Six-Week Injury Layoff 'Horrible'

Among the keys that led to LeBron James' longevity in the NBA is how he attentively takes care of his body.

It is not a secret the Los Angeles Lakers superstar spends roughly $1.5 million annually for the overall conditioning and maintenance of his 6-foot-8 frame, and the results are noticeable.

NBA general managers still agree that James will have only a slow and steady decline as he exits the league inevitably.

But even such top-notch priority for his health isn't a guarantee.

The four-time season and Finals MVP detailed in a recent interview how "stressful" it was to deal with a six-week absence following a high-ankle sprain, the longest he has been out due to an injury throughout his 18-year career.

"It was horrible for me honestly. I was more stressful than I've ever been," James said following the Lakers' 110-106 loss to Sacramento on Friday.

The perennial All-Star opened up about having the sense of urgency to get back on the hardcourt from the moment he got sidelined last March.

"That's just who I am," James mentioned. "The first couple of weeks [were] pretty good because I wasn't allowed to travel much so I kind of stayed at home and be with my family."

"But as far as like watching the games and not being able to play, sitting on the bench and knowing you couldn't make much of a difference was very stressful," he added.

James scored 16 points and also tallied eight rebounds and seven assists in close to 32 minutes of play.

The forward added he generally felt good about the level he's at making a return to action.

"For my first game in six weeks, I felt OK. As far as my wind, I felt pretty good. As far as my ankle, it was a little tight at times, obviously," he said. "But I came out unscathed and pretty good. So it’s a good start."

James missed a total of 20 games throughout the recovery period. Before he went down, his star partner Anthony Davis had also been sidelined since Valentine's Day due to a calf strain.

The Lakers have dropped to sixth in the Western Conference at 36-27 due to their absences and are in danger of being relegated to the play-in tournament.

The timing of James and Davis' injuries, plus the arrivals of big man Andre Drummond and shooter Ben McLemore, are both concerning issues too for the Lakers' title repeat hopes.

"It's been a hell of a season. Everything is so so rushed. There is a game every other day [and] back-to-backs. It's been a long super quick season," James further noted.

While acknowledging it is impossible to be back at 100% not only for himself but also the team, at least James is now playing again—a little "stress-relief," he shared.

"How much we can make out of these last nine games, I'm not sure but chemistry-wise we continue to build on that," James closed.

"Minutes on the floor helps. [It] will only help us. The more minutes we get on the floor with the full unit will only help us."