LeBron James officially began his major 23rd NBA season on Tuesday night, stepping back into the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup as they hosted the Utah Jazz.
The 40-year-old stager, now in a league of his own for life, was saluted with a loud acclamation from Lakers suckers as he took the bottom.
LeBron Returns After Sciatica Layoff
James had missed all pre-season institutions and the Lakers’ first 14 regular-season games due to sciatica, the first time in his career he’d ever missed a season.
After sluggishly returning to communicate work last week and completing his first full practice on Monday, the Lakers verified just 30 twinkles before tip-off that he’d make his return.
His opening twinkles were understandably gravel, with a misgauged inbounds pass and a missed early shot, but he still managed to dish out two assists before heading to the bench interior through the first quarter. He latterly returned looking more settled and comfortable.
The performance followed the momentum the team had built from a recent win over Charlotte, which highlighted Luka Doncic’s influence.
LeBron James Sets a New Standard
With his appearance against the Jazz, James officially became the first player in NBA history to compete in 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter’s previous mark of 22.
A select group, including Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Paul, has played 21 seasons, while Philadelphia’s Kyle Lowry is currently in his 20th.
LeBron James becomes the FIRST PLAYER in NBA HISTORY to reach 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter
What an incredible journey. We may never see anything like this again. pic.twitter.com/3OTAor6KU5
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) November 19, 2025
Lakers head coach JJ Redick highlighted James’ remarkable staying power, saying: “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.”
James also continues to close in on more records. He is now only 48 games short of Parish’s all-time record of 1,611 regular-season appearances and already holds the record for most total games played, regular season and playoffs combined, with 1,855, putting him 58 clear of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
More Milestones on the Horizon
Though James hasn’t committed to whether this will be his final season, he also hasn’t suggested retirement is close.
His summer was spent recovering from a knee sprain suffered in last season’s first-round defeat to Minnesota, followed by a challenging stretch coping with sciatica.
Despite that, he continues adding to a résumé that already includes becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader in February 2023 and surpassing 50,000 combined points last March.
His journey began in 2003 with the Cleveland Gentlemen, a time before the birth of his eldest son and now Lakers teammate, Bronny James.
He has also won four NBA titles, including helping the Lakers claim their 17th crown in the 2020 bubble.
More lately, he guided Los Angeles to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, and the platoon captured the Pacific Division title last season following the mid-season appearance of Luka Doncic.
The Jazz, meetly, were also the opponents when Doncic made his Lakers debut in February. The two sides will meet again on Sunday in Salt Lake City, giving suckers another look at James as he opens this unknown chapter of his career.
