LeBron James ditches ‘newborn baby’ reception ahead of imminent debut
The The Los Angeles Lakers are back recently on the right track, picking up wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend to shake off last week’s road loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers are currently 10-4, good for fourth in the Western Conference, and are waiting for an injury the return of lebron jameswhich could come as early as this week.
On Monday, James spoke after participating at Lakers practice.
“My lungs feel like a newborn … I have to get my lungs back to a grown man,” James admitted, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on X, formerly Twitter.
McMenamin also reported that James “said he’s going to have to see how his body reacts today before deciding whether or not he’s going to play tomorrow.”
The Lakers would certainly like to get James back on the court as soon as possible to take some of the load off Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
A key addition for the Lakers
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers lineup and style of play changes once LeBron James returns to the lineup. Upon his return, Reaves will be reverted to his traditional number three option, while Doncic will remain Los Angeles’ clear primary player.
James, meanwhile, is entering a season where he clearly isn’t his team’s first option for the first time in his career, and it will be intriguing to see how he and head coach JJ Redick approach a game with him back in the lineup.
The good news for the Lakers is that they have just one game in the next six days, Tuesday night at home against the Utah Jazz, which could mark James’ season debut. That game is expected at 10:30 PM ET.
2025-11-17 23:08:00
