LOS ANGELES — LeBron James certainly didn’t look like he’d been away from an NBA court for nearly seven months as he began his unprecedented 23rd season Tuesday night — even if his burning lungs told him otherwise.
After reaching another milestone in what is now officially the longest career in league history, James wasn’t at all surprised to return from his lengthy injury absence by seamlessly joining the surging Los Angeles Lakers and pulling off another win.
James had 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds as he started and played 29 minutes in the Lakers’ 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz, starting his new season with an impressive playing performance.
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the boys,” said James. “As the race went on, my wind got a lot better. I caught my second wind, caught my third wind. Obviously the rhythm is still coming back. First race in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was expected.”
That’s because there isn’t much that can surprise James at this point in his basketball odyssey — not even the work required to overcome injuries.
The 40-year-old James has been sidelined since the start of training camp due to sciatica, which kept him out of the preseason and the first fourteen games of the regular season for the Lakers. James, who had never missed a season opener since he started playing organized basketball 30 years ago, returned to basketball activities last week before participating in his first Lakers practice of the new season on Monday.
James realized some observers wondered if his presence would disrupt the Lakers, who were off to a 10–4 start without him. The four-time NBA champion could only laugh about it.
“I can fit in with anyone,” James said. “I don’t even understand why that was even a question. What’s wrong with these people here? I can immediately relate to everyone. Just watching the first 14 games, I put myself in position (mentally) watching the games, about how I could help the team and how I could be successful helping those guys. I can still get a lot of attention when I control the ball or have the ball.”
About 30 minutes before tipoff, the team confirmed that James would start for the 1,561st time in his 1,563rd regular season games. He received a loud ovation when he was announced first in the Lakers’ starting lineup.
James didn’t score in his first 11 minutes on the pitch, but quickly found his rhythm. After hitting a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter, he recorded eight assists in the second half, including six in just over three minutes early in the fourth quarter.
Deandre Ayton was visibly affected by James’ passing during his first chance to play in a match with his new teammate. The Lakers’ new center noted that the alley-oop pass he threw down for a dunk was actually the second lob he’d ever received from James — the first was at James’ basketball camp in Las Vegas when Ayton, a future No. 1 overall pick, was in eighth grade.
“He played with the right spirit,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of James. “Very unselfish all night. Was a willing passer. I didn’t force it. Took his drives and his shots when they were there. The defense will pay attention to him, and I thought he made a lot of great decisions tonight. Really great to have him back.”
James said Monday that his body is not in ideal shape, but he was eager to get started on his latest milestone in a career full of distinction. Redick was also impressed with James’ conditioning, saying he could have played more minutes if the Lakers hadn’t already moved on from Utah.
“LeBron, to a lot of us who played with him, or some of these guys who grew up watching him, is a superhero,” said Redick, who played 15 NBA seasons. “What he was able to do in this game, a handful of guys were able to do it.”
James is the first player ever to appear in 23 NBA seasons.
Vince Carter played 22 seasons in a career that ended in 2020, while five players have lasted 21 seasons: Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and 40-year-old Chris Paul, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Philadelphia guard Kyle Lowry is in his 20th season.
With this debut, James is now just 48 games behind Parish’s NBA record for regular season games played (1,611). James already holds another NBA record with 1,855 regular-season and playoff games combined — 58 more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — along with the record for most minutes played.
James has repeatedly said he doesn’t expect this season to be his last, but he also hasn’t decided whether he will play another year. His most recent offseason was plagued by injuries, with a two-month recovery after spraining his knee ligament in the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to Minnesota, followed by that painful bout of sciatica — pain in the nerves running from the buttocks to the back of the legs.
James became the leading scorer in NBA history in February 2023. Last March, he became the first NBA player to total 50,000 points in the regular season and playoffs combined.
A four-time NBA Finals MVP, James also has four league MVP awards and 21 All-Star selections. His career began with the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2003, a year before the birth of his eldest son and current Lakers teammate, Bronny James.
James led the Lakers to the franchise’s 17th championship in the Florida bubble in 2020. Los Angeles reached the Western Conference finals again in 2023 and won the Pacific Division title last spring after acquiring Luka Doncic, James’ self-proclaimed favorite current player, midway through the season.
Los Angeles’ next game isn’t until Sunday, also against the Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Lakers will have at least two practices before then, allowing James to continue to establish his chemistry and his role.
“I don’t have to worry about chemistry,” James said. “This is a great group. Everyone enjoys being together, sacrificing for each other, playing for each other. (I just need) to get my air, get my rhythm back. I missed a few chippies tonight that I’m used to making. But we’ll be fine.”
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