Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made significant
progress in his recovery from sciatica on Monday, completing a full
five-on-five practice session with the team for the first time this season.
The 40-year-old has not played this season after being
sidelined by sciatica, marking the first time in his illustrious career that he
has missed the opening weeks of an NBA campaign. His return could come as early
as Tuesday when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz, depending on how his body
responds in the next 24 hours.
“We’ve been taking it literally one minute, one hour,
one step at a time throughout this whole process,” James told reporters. “See
how I feel this afternoon, see how I feel tonight. When I wake up in the
morning, we’ll probably have a shootaround. Got to see how the body responds.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick described James’s return
to practice as akin to gaining “a new player.”
“It was great to have him with the group… It’s the
first time this season we’ve had all 14 guys available for practice,” Redick
said. “I know he’s itching to play and itching to return.”
James admitted that sitting out the start of the
season had been mentally challenging.
“It definitely sucks,” he said. “Never in my life
since I started playing have I ever not started the season. It’s been a mind
test, but I’ve been putting in the work, both mentally and physically, to get
ready to rejoin the team.”
The Lakers currently hold a 10-4 record, ranking
fourth in the Western Conference, and James’s return could provide a
much-needed boost as the season progresses.
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