LeBron James made his long-awaited season debut on Tuesday, becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in 23 seasons.
James, who had never missed a season opener until this year, sat out the Lakers’ first 14 games while recovering from sciatica.
The 40-year-old returned to the starting lineup against the Utah Jazz, just 24 hours after completing his first full practice with the team.
In his debut, James passed Reggie Miller to move into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list for 3-pointers made after hitting his 2,561st.
He finished with 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes.
Luka Dončić led all scorers with 37 points as the Lakers beat Utah 140-126.
The four-time MVP ranks among the league’s all-time leaders in several major categories, including assists and steals. James still trails Robert Parish in career games played, 1,563 to Parish’s 1,611.
In 2023, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Without James, the Lakers went 10-4. After Tuesday’s win over the Jazz, they improved to 11-4, good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
