LeBron James makes assist history in just the first game of the 23rd year
On Tuesday evening, LeBron James made his highly anticipated season debutmarking the start of his 23rd NBA campaign — becoming the first player in NBA history to play that many seasons. And the Los Angeles Lakers they couldn’t have started the season better with James in the lineup, as they rallied for a 140-125 win over the Utah Jazz despite trailing by double digits early on.
James wasn’t involved much in the scoringwhere Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves combined with 63 points (37 for the former, 26 for the latter) leading the Lakers’ attack. But he scored 11 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 1,293 games, and to top it all off, he dished out 12 assists (six in the fourth quarter alone) in an impressive overall season debut after missing the first 14 games with sciatica.
By the way, James became the oldest player in NBA history to start a season with a double-double, according to Polymarket Hoops on X (formerly Twitter). The Lakers star remains unmatched in terms of longevity, and he seems to find a way to produce as much as he can, even when he clearly isn’t 100 percent yet.
There were times when James lacked his usual burst when he attacked the basket. But the Lakers star more than made up for it with his incredible passing vision and precise execution. He was a major reason why LA pulled away from Utah in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, and when he rounds into form, the league better watch out.
The Lakers can afford to cut loose with LeBron James
In the past, fixing James in 14 games would have spelled disaster. But now that the Lakers have Doncic on the roster, they have a legitimate ball-handling star who can score all over the court, helping offset James’ absence.
The regular season is 82 games long, so there’s no reason for the Lakers to push James hard this early. They can afford to bring him on slowly and have him step up when the games matter most.
2025-11-19 07:18:00
