LeBron James Returns to the Court with the Lakers: A Historic Debut
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made his anticipated season debut in the 140-126 victory against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. With this game, James began his 23rd season, setting a new NBA record. James proved his worth in 30 minutes of play, accumulating 11 points, 12 assists, and 3 rebounds. The Lakers, for their part, achieved their highest score of the season. In the third quarter, James scored a layup that extended his streak of games with double digits to 1,293, a record that spans all games since January 6, 2007.The 40-year-old player was out of action for the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica issues, which affected his lower back and the right side of his body.I just think he played with the right spirit. Very unselfish all night. He was willing to pass the ball, didn’t force anything, made his drives and shots when needed, and I thought he made a lot of good decisions tonight. It’s really good to have him back.
JJ Redick, Lakers coach
With this game, James became the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter. James quickly found his rhythm, offering a display of play in the second half that helped the Lakers pull away on the scoreboard. James recorded eight assists in the second half, including six in the first three minutes of the last quarter. James returned to Lakers training on Monday, participating in his first 5-on-5 session since the team’s elimination in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves in April. James’ return came after a rehabilitation assignment with the G League’s South Bay Lakers last week.It was fun being on the court with the guys, man. It’s been tough mentally for me. This is the first time I’m starting a basketball season and not playing since I started playing basketball, like at 9 years old, I’ve never missed the start of a basketball season.
LeBron James
James, already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, entered Tuesday 50 games away from Robert Parish, a Boston Celtics legend, in the lead for games played and is now 496 assists away from Jason Kidd in third place on the all-time list. Deandre Ayton was visibly impressed by James’s game during his first opportunity to play alongside his new teammate. The new Lakers center noted that the alley-oop pass he threw for a dunk was actually the second he had received from James; the first was at James’s basketball camp in Las Vegas when Ayton, future draft number 1, was in eighth grade. James didn’t score in his first 11 minutes on the court, but his two three-pointers in the first half put him ahead of Indiana Pacers shooter Reggie Miller for sixth place on the all-time list.The pace tested me, but I was happy with how I was able to keep up with the guys. As the game went on, my breath improved a lot. I got my second wind, my third wind. The pace is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.
LeBron James
