Dave McMenamin
Dave McMenamin
ESPN Staff WriterLakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
Shams Charania
Shams Charania
Senior NBA InsiderShams Charania is a senior NBA insider for ESPN. Charania reports NBA news and information across ESPN platforms and also contributes to ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NBA draft. Charania has previously worked for FanDuel TV, Stadium, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, RealGM and ChicagoNow. He is a Chicago native and graduated from Loyola University in 2017.Nov 19, 2025, 12:46 PM
LOS ANGELES — Lakers star LeBron James made his season debut in a 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, taking the court to begin a league-record 23rd season.
James had 11 points, 12 assists and 3 rebounds in 30 minutes as the Lakers scored a season-high 140 points. He made a driving layup in the third quarter to extend his streak of double-digit scoring performances to a record 1,293 games — every game in which he has played since Jan. 6, 2007.
The 40-year-old James was sidelined for the first 14 games of the season with sciatica, a nerve issue that affected his lower back and down the right side of his body.
With his start against the Jazz he became the first NBA player in history to play in 23 seasons, breaking a tie with Vince Carter. He didn’t take long to find his rhythm, putting on a playmaking clinic in the second half as the Lakers pulled away from Utah.
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James returned to practice with the team Monday, joining his Lakers teammates for his first 5-on-5 action with them since L.A.’s first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves in April.
James’ return came after a rehabilitation assignment with the G League’s South Bay Lakers last week while L.A. was on a five-game road trip and getting through back-to-back days of practice without experiencing any lingering soreness or pain.
James, already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, entered Tuesday 50 games behind Boston Celtics great Robert Parish for the all-time lead in games played and is now 496 assists behind Jason Kidd for No. 3 on the all-time list.
James didn’t score in his first 11 minutes on the court, but his two 3-pointers in the first half moved him past Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Reggie Miller into No. 6 on the all-time list.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.