LeBron James continues to win the battle against Father Time, playing at an elite level at 41. The Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar missed training camp due to sciatica, and many questioned whether he could still play at an All-Star level consistently. So far, he is answering those questions with flying colors.
LeBron James Reveals How He Performs at the Highest Level
James brought on Indiana Pacers Tyrese Haliburton to host an episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast. The two-time All-Star asked James, “How are you able to still play at this level at this age?”
James expressed that he surprised himself many times throughout the season. “It’s kind of weird … It’s times where I’ll wake up on game days, and I’ll be like ‘I don’t got it. I don’t have the energy …’ I’m just trying to squeeze as much juice out of whatever I can to go out and play the game that I love,” responded James.
The 21-time All-Star, unsurprisingly, did not have a secret formula for his longevity. He questioned whether his body would respond well after recovering from the sciatica flare-up before the season. James missed training camp, preseason, and the first 14 games of the 2025-26 campaign. However, since making his season debut on Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz, he has only missed three contests.
The Lakers rested their star forward for one game of three back-to-back sets. James last sat out of Los Angeles’ Nov. 7 contest against the San Antonio Spurs. The back-to-back sits seem to be a thing of the past. He played all five games in a seven-night stretch, including two back-to-backs, from Jan. 12 to Jan. 18.
“I played five in seven nights, and I didn’t know if I was going to get through them … I came out feeling really good. I don’t even know how I’m doing it,” said James.
James’ Season By the Numbers
The four-time NBA champion averages 22.4 points, 6.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. James turned in arguably his best first half of the campaign on Jan. 26 against the Chicago Bulls. He scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting but slowed down in the second to finish the contest with 24 points, five boards, and three assists.
James’ usage sits at a career-low 28.1% this season, although that number certainly remains high for a 41-year-old. It will be interesting to see if his usage fluctuates with the return of Austin Reaves on the horizon. The Lakers’ star guard is expected to play for the first time since Dec. 25 during the week of Jan. 26.
