LeBron James was once again solid and did a little bit of everything in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings. James finished with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win, while also committing just two turnovers.
It was LeBron’s second game back in the lineup after missing the Lakers’ previous two games due to left foot soreness. That also coincided with a fortunate schedule break for the Lakers, ultimately giving James nine full days off in between games, allowing for him to help heal his body.
LeBron has said numerous times that as long as he is healthy he prefers to suit up and he recently reiterated that point, though he did add that if there is a long-term benefit for himself and the betterment of the team, he is open to having conversations about limiting his workload, via Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic:
“I’m just not a guy that likes to sit games, if I’m somewhat healthy,” James said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just, it’s never been my thing. … If there’s an opportunity where it could benefit my body and benefit my play long-term for the better of the team, then I’m always open to having that conversation. So we’ll see what happens.”
Both LeBron and head coach JJ Redick spoke about the break in the Lakers schedule playing a role in their decision to sit him out. A break of that length in the middle of the season simply doesn’t come often and for James in the stage of his career that he is at, they simply felt it was best to take advantage of that and it is hard to argue against that.
LeBron is a competitor at the end of the day and always wants to be on the court helping his team win. But the Lakers coaches and trainers also want to make sure he is able to perform throughout the entire season and they will continue to work with James to figure out what is best for both himself individually and the Lakers as a whole.
LeBron James humbled to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most regular season minutes in NBA history
LeBron James set another record on Thursday, surpassing fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most regular season minutes in NBA history, something he called humbling afterwards.
The Lakers star noted that his teammates congratulated him and made some old jokes at his expense, but added that any time he is able to be linked with the all-time greats is very cool and humbling.
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