EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James returned to practice with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, and he is waiting to see how he feels after the workout before deciding whether to make his season debut Tuesday.
When James returns to Los Angeles' lineup, he will become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 seasons. The Lakers host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, but they don't have another game until Sunday.
“Just trying to get back to where I feel like myself again,” James said. “Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus.”
The 40-year-old James hadn't worked out with the Lakers since he developed sciatica before the start of training camp in late September, and he missed a season opener for the first time in his basketball life.
The top scorer in NBA history has rejoined the Lakers after their return from a five-game road trip, but James acknowledged he still has work to do before he's back in full game shape.
“My lungs feel like a newborn baby,” James said. “That’s the most important thing: I’ve got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone (from) one day back barking out calls and assignments and stuff. Got to get my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest tonight. Feels good to be out here with the guys. Missed them.”
James revealed that he had an initial bout of sciatica — pain in the nerves running from the buttocks and down the back of the legs — during the offseason two years ago. He also sprained a ligament in his knee during the Lakers' first-round playoff loss to Minnesota last spring, setting back his offseason training regimen by about two months.
“Not too long after that (in mid-June), I started to feel the (pain) in my hip and my back, things of that nature,” James said. “So everything kind of changed. My whole dynamic changed of how I was going to prepare for the season, but it's all a blessing in disguise.”
When asked if he's pain-free, James responded: “I wouldn't go that far.”
“If you've ever had (sciatica), you wake up one day and you hope that when you step down out of the bed, you don't feel it,” James added. “You go to bed at night, you hope when you get in the bed, you don't feel it. I've been doing pretty good with it as of late. There's a lot of exercise and a lot of mobility things that you can do to help it, so I'm just keeping a positive mindset.”
James joined the G League's South Bay Lakers for practice last week as he ramped up his on-court activity with his first five-on-five work since last spring. His return to the big club Monday was good news for coach JJ Redick.
“It was great to have him with the group for the first time,” Redick said. “This is the first time we've had all 14 guys available for a practice, so that's exciting.”
The Lakers are off to an impressive 10-4 start to the season despite significant injury problems. Los Angeles sits fourth in the Western Conference standings heading into Monday's games.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been prolific scorers despite missing games with injuries, and new center Deandre Ayton has been a standout.
“I missed these guys,” James said with a grin. “Just seeing them going out to work, I love working and I love the process. I don't miss the travel. I'm about to be 41 years old. I was happy at home on my couch after working out. I don't miss the travel, but I definitely miss the competition and miss these guys.”
James and Redick have no worries about James' ability to fit into the Lakers' lineup in whatever role he gets. James is already excited about working a two-man game with Ayton and creating shots for Doncic.
“I've got to work my way back into the fold of things,” James said. “It's kind of like a kid going to a new school. They've got some great chemistry, so I'm just going to feel my way back in and do it organically. It shouldn't be hard, but it's going to be a feeling-out process.”
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