LeBron James is back with the Los Angeles Lakers after a long layoff due to injury. The 40-year-old superstar made NBA history. He played smart against the Utah Jazz – and rose further into the ranks of the best three-point shooters.
A six-month gap was nowhere to be seen in LeBron James’ historic season debut. He was the first professional player in NBA history to start the 23rd season of his career – and, moreover, won with the Los Angeles Lakers against the Utah Jazz 140:126.
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with how I kept up with the guys,” said James (40). As the match progressed, his condition improved. “It was the first game in almost seven months, so everything that happened in it was expected,” he added.
The 40-year-old megastar immediately posted another double-digit score with eleven points and twelve assists. “He was extraordinary in the first match. He will get into the rhythm and help us a lot,” Luka Doncic (26) praised his teammate, whom he looked up to as a child.
Sciatica is the reason for LeBron James’ long NBA break
James played smart, didn’t force anything and, with his second 3-pointer of the first half, passed Reggie Miller for sixth place on the list of best three-point shooters in NBA history. Normalcy for the league’s leading scorer, who until this game in Los Angeles shared the league record of 22 seasons with Vince Carter. Now James has it all to himself – and a little sooner than most observers expected after a tough summer.
Sciatica pain in the lower back that impacts the leg – which millions of people experience in everyday life – has so far prevented James from making his season debut. He already suffered a knee injury at the end of last season. When these symptoms disappeared, the pain in his back slowed him down and prevented him from preparing properly.
Last week he returned to team training, initially with the youth team. On Monday he was on the court for the first time alongside Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and the rest of the team responsible for the Lakers’ strong start to the season. Ten wins and only four losses is an excellent starting point for coach JJ Reddick’s team.
As James commented after practice, a home game against Utah could be a possibility, but the NBA superstar also said: “My lungs feel like baby lungs. That’s the most important thing: I have to get my lungs back to the level of a grown man’s lungs.” When asked if he was pain-free, he replied: “I wouldn’t go that far.”
James has never missed a season opener before, and he watched a home game in civilian clothes from the bench – as did Maxi Kleber, who suffered a stomach muscle injury shortly before the start of the season but is now fit for action again and was on the court in the final minutes against Utah. From the sidelines, James could see how well the Lakers’ additions suited Doncic and Reaves without him on the court.
“I don’t miss traveling, but I miss being on the field with friends,” he said. He is not worried about being able to integrate into the team. “It’s like a kid moving to a new school. They have great chemistry and I got to feel it, in a natural way. It shouldn’t be too difficult, but it will be a process of getting used to each other.”
However, the player with James’ name on his back is not new with the new additions of Ayton and Marcus Smart – Bronny James, the superstar’s eldest son, has been in the Lakers’ starting lineup several times. Against Utah, he also came on the court in the final minutes and drained a three-pointer.
pk/dpa
