LeBron James made history on Tuesday by playing his first game of the NBA season and becoming the first player to appear in 23 consecutive NBA seasons.
The 40-year-old Lakers star, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica, scored 11 points, provided 12 assists, and grabbed three rebounds in 30 minutes during a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz.
James also moved past Vince Carter’s record of 22 consecutive seasons and surpassed Reggie Miller to take sixth place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list with two successful shots from beyond the arc.
Lakers teammate Luka Doncic praised James, saying: “It’s been a long time since he played basketball, so I think for the first game back, he looked amazing. He’s going to keep getting his rhythm and help us a lot.”
Doncic led the team with 37 points, four steals, 10 assists, and five rebounds. Austin Reaves added 26 points for the Lakers. For the Jazz, Keyonte George scored 34 points while Lauri Markkanen had 31.
The win puts the Lakers in fourth place in the Western Conference, while the Jazz remain 10th.
