Stephen A. Smith spent part of his show this week asking the question plenty around the NBA have been thinking: how is LeBron James still holding up so well?
With injuries piling up across the league in the first week of the regular season, Smith zeroed in on Philadelphia 76ers LeBron James and his unusual run of health. James has even shifted into a center role for the 76ers this season, a direct response to the frontcourt issues Philadelphia is dealing with.
The 76ers have already had to navigate absences from forwards Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow, while Joel Embiid has also been out under load management as the team eyes a deep postseason run. Through it all, James has stayed available, and that became the centerpiece of Smith’s remarks on The Stephen A Smith Show.
“How is it that LeBron James is 42 years of age in his 24th year, and he's healthier than most? Because whatever it is that he's doing to his body, damn it, could you tell us?
LEBRON, I WANT TO KNOW! pic.twitter.com/PzbDIbuXEG
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 28, 2026
So we can do it, too,” Smith said. “That's what I would be if I was an NBA player.
I'd like, yo, what you doing? What's your ingredient?
I'd follow him, for crying out loud. I'd spy on him.
I wanna figure out what the hell he's doing. I wanna know his diet.
Supplement protocol. Conditioning protocol.
When he wakes up, when he goes to sleep. I wanna know.”
James has missed one game for the 76ers this season, sitting out the team’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. He was back in the lineup the next day, though the Sixers fell 106-93 to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, suffering their first loss of the regular season.
Philadelphia now turns to Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, with a chance to move to 4-1.
In Other News...
Sixers Could Catch Pacers At The Perfect Time Wednesday
Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe are expected back in the 76ers lineup Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, giving Philadelphia a major boost after both sat out the previous game with injuries. Even with those reinforcements, the Sixers are still working around several absences of their own, including Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Jabari Walker, so the rotation is not exactly at full strength yet.
Still, the timing could matter. Indiana arrives with its own injury concerns, and the Pacers have several players on the report, including some key names who are either out or in question for the matchup. For a Sixers team trying to stabilize itself, this is the kind of spot where getting Embiid back can change the feel of the night quickly, even if the full picture on the other side is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Adem Bona Just Put Real Pressure On The Sixers Backup Center Race
A recent run of minutes gave Adem Bona the kind of opportunity the 76ers have been waiting to see him seize. In 25 minutes, he finished with six points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, a line that underscored why the coaching staff had already envisioned him as part of the center rotation. With injuries thinning the big-man group and Andre Drummond gone, the pathway behind Joel Embiid has opened wider than expected.
Bonas case is built less on scoring than on the traits Philadelphia needs most when Embiid sits: activity, rim protection and work on the glass. The competition for backup center minutes is still shaped by who is available, but Bona has clearly put himself in position to be the primary option off the bench. For a team trying to preserve Embiid while staying solid in the frontcourt, that is no small development. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
Before Jaylen Brown ever got to Philadelphia, the Nets apparently had a chance to bring him to Brooklyn and passed. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Boston floated Brown in trade talks, but Brooklyn declined in large part because of his close relationship with Kyrie Irving, a connection the organization apparently did not want to revisit after the turbulence of Irvings run there.
For the Sixers, the backstory is part of the larger appeal of landing a player who has settled in and produced right away. Brown is performing well this season, and while the Brooklyn angle is mostly a what-if now, it helps explain why his arrival in Philadelphia mattered beyond the normal trade chatter. The Nets may have had their reasons for staying away, but the Sixers are the ones benefiting from what they saw as a clean fit. [Read more 🡒]