LeBron James is set to have his season debut on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz. James missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 NBA season due to sciatica. He also didn’t participate in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ training camp and preseason games. Fans have waited so long for him to return to action. Tonight, he’ll be on the floor with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, as the team seeks to secure its 11th win of the year.
Given the fame and stardom of James, Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy knows that the attention he’ll get from the crowd will contribute to the challenge they will face at Crypto.com Arena. Hardy discussed how the atmosphere in the arena could change in favor of the Lakers before their game. His advice to his players is to stay focused and not let the noise bother them.
“Stylistically, obviously, those two guys are two of the best decision-makers we’ve seen in the NBA. It does give JJ [Redick] and their group a broad range of things they can go to,” Hardy said.”In theory, you could have the whole game where one of them is on the court. But with our group, it’s way more about the moment, the energy in the building.”
“You know, we were here last year for Luka’s first game, and there’s very clearly a buzz in the building. I don’t care how much you try to say to your team, ‘Hey, this is just another game. Hey, these are just guys in the NBA,’ like LeBron James is LeBron James. And so, we’ve got really young players that are in our rotation, and so it’s more about their mindset of how to approach the emotion of the game. just as much as the tactical part.”
LeBron James hasn’t fully recovered from his injury
On Monday, James had his first practice with the Lakers. The four-time champion was unable to accompany the team during his recuperation because they were on a five-game road trip that concluded on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks. During that time, the star forward worked out with the team’s G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
During that stretch, James took the chance to get his body right. Although there were reports that said he showed promise, he revealed that he hasn’t fully recovered yet.
“Obviously, my lungs feel like a newborn baby,” James said.
James said that it’s his goal to get his lungs in the best condition. But it could take a while. The Lakers star said that he’s gradually started to show progress, since he’s started to be more comfortable with his voice.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
