LeBron James is entering a season no player has ever reached before, and he’s doing it while managing two physical issues that have trailed him into Philadelphia.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James is dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot and continuing to monitor his lower back after sciatica caused him to miss the opening month of last season. Those problems have made his daily maintenance a major part of training camp with the 76ers.
“James’ daily routine begins at the Sixers’ training complex around 7:45 a.m., when he is met by his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias, to work on his body. There is stretching, activation and modalities to check off as he embarks on an unprecedented 24th NBA season, breaking his NBA record for player longevity with every game he plays.”
“And there is special attention paid to his left foot, which has chronic arthritis, sources told ESPN, and his lower back, which caused him to miss the first month of last season because of sciatica.”
McMenamin also reported that James gets to the training complex around 7:15 a.m., well before the team’s 11 a.m. practices, and goes through an extensive routine with Mancias before the workday starts. The focus on the foot and back is expected to continue throughout the season.
Even with those concerns, James still produced at a high level last year. He played in 60 games for the Lakers and averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in about 33 minutes per game. He also made his record-extending 22nd All-Star Game.
Now he’s on the verge of becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in a 24th season.
The difference this time is that Philadelphia doesn’t need him to carry everything. The Sixers believe he can be a real piece on a team built to win now.
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are still there, the club added five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown and signed James to a minimum contract, and the roster also includes Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade. V.J.
Edgecombe is expected to take another step forward as well.
That kind of depth gives Philadelphia room to manage James more carefully than teams did earlier in his career. But he’s not treating this as a victory lap. After the Sixers’ blue-and-white scrimmage, he made it clear his move was about chasing another championship.
James has already stretched the limits of what longevity looks like in the NBA. Now the question is whether he can keep his body right enough - especially that left foot and lower back - to turn a historic 24th season into something even bigger.
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