LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James certainly didn’t look like he had been away from an NBA court for nearly seven months when he began his unprecedented 23rd season Tuesday night — even if his burning lungs told him otherwise.
After reaching another landmark in what is now officially the longest career in league history, James was not at all surprised to return from his lengthy injury absence by fitting in seamlessly with the surging Los Angeles Lakers
in yet another victory.
James had 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds while starting and playing 29 minutes in the Lakers’ 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz, kicking off his new season with an impressive playmaking performance.
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the guys,” James said. “As the game went on, my wind got a lot better. Caught my second wind, caught my third wind. Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.”
That’s because not much can surprise James at this point in his basketball odyssey — not even the work necessary to overcome injuries.
The 40-year-old James had been sidelined since the start of training camp by sciatica, keeping him out of the preseason and the Lakers’ first 14 games of the regular season. James, who had never missed a season opener since he started playing organized basketball three decades ago, returned to contact basketball activity last week before participating in his first Lakers practice of the new season Monday.
James realized that some observers wondered whether his presence would disrupt the Lakers, who got off to a 10-4 start without him. The four-time NBA champion could only laugh.
“I can fit in with anybody,” James said. “I don’t even understand why that was even a question. What’s wrong with these people out here? I can fit in right away with anybody. Just watching the guys the first 14 games, I was putting myself (mentally) in position while I was watching the games of how I could help the team and how I could be successful to help those guys. I’m still able to gain a lot of eyes when I’m driving the ball or have the ball.”
About 30 minutes before tipoff, the team confirmed James would start for the 1,561st time in his 1,563rd regular-season games. He got a loud ovation when he was announced first in the Lakers’ starting lineup.
James didn’t score in his first 11 minutes on court, but soon found his rhythm. After hitting a pair of 3-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 impressed by James’ passing during his first chance to play in a game alongside 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 had ever received from James — the first was at James’ basketball camp in Las Vegas when Ayton, a future No. 1 overall pick, was in the eighth grade.
“He played with the right spirit,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of James. “Very unselfish all night. Was a willing passer. Didn’t force it. Took his drives and his shots when they were there. The defense is going to pay attention to him, and I just thought he made a lot of great decisions tonight. Really great to have him back.”
James said Monday that his body isn’t in ideal game shape, but he was eager to get started on his latest milestone achievement in a career packed with distinction. Redick was also impressed by James’ fitness, saying he could have played more minutes if the Lakers hadn’t already run away from Utah.
“LeBron is, for a lot of us that played with him, or some of these guys that grew up watching him, he’s a superhero,” said Redick, who played 15 NBA seasons. “What he’s been able to do in this game, there’s a handful of guys that have been able to do it.”
James is the first player ever to participate in 23 NBA seasons.
Vince Carter played in 22 seasons in a career that concluded in 2020, while five players have made it through 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 total minutes played.
James has repeatedly said he isn’t assuming this season will be his last, but he also hasn’t decided whether he’ll play another year. His most recent offseason was injury-plagued, with two months of recovery after spraining his knee ligament during the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to Minnesota followed by that painful bout of sciatica — pain in the nerves running from the buttocks and down the back of the legs.
James became the top scorer in NBA history in February 2023. Last March, he became the first NBA player to put up 50,000 total points in the regular season and playoffs combined.
James is a four-time NBA Finals MVP who 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 oldest 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 made the Western Conference finals again in 2023, and it won the Pacific Division title last spring after acquiring Luka Doncic, James’ self-described favorite current player, near midseason.
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 around each another, sacrificing for one another, playing for one another. (Just got to) get my wind, get my rhythm back. Missed a couple of chippies tonight that I’m used to making. But that will come around.”
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