LeBron James made his season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, tipping off his 23rd NBA season.
LeBron James had a season debut fit for a king as the Los Angeles Lakers handled business on Tuesday night at home.
Having missed the first 14 games of the Lakers’ season, James helped Los Angeles handle business with a 12-assist, 11-point double-double in their 140-126 triumph over the Utah Jazz. James had dealt with sciatica for most of this season, but took the floor with the Jazz and his fellow Lakers.
A good number of participants from Tuesday’s game, including his son and Lakers reserve Bronny James, along with Utah’s leading scorer Keyonte George, were born after James made his original NBA debut in 2003.
These 9 players from the Lakers & Jazz were born after LeBron’s debut in 2003
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 19, 2025
Brice Sensabaugh (2003)
Keyonte George (2003)
Taylor Hendricks (2003)
Kyle Filipowski (2003)
Isaiah Collier (2004)
Cody Williams (2004)
Bronny James (2004)
Adou Thiero (2004)
Ace Bailey (2006) https://t.co/KPPj8ETTWH pic.twitter.com/FgNT1cqQgJ
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the guys,” James said after playing 30 minutes on Tuesday, per Kevin Dotson of CNN. “As the game went on, my wind got a lot better. Caught my second wind, caught my third wind. Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.”
James made a couple of new brands of Association history with his entry: upon taking the floor with the rest of the Lakers’ starting five, James became the first player on NBA ledgers to appear in 23 seasons of action, matching the digits he wears with Los Angeles. He previously shared the mark with newly minted Hall-of-Fame Vince Carter, who played his 22nd and final season in 2020.
LeBron James Passes Reggie Miller on All-Time NBA 3-Point List
A couple of threes also gave James 2,561 for his NBA career, allowing him to move past Reggie Miller for sixth on the all-time list. Though his 11 points were his fewest in a single game since last December, James nonetheless reached double-figures in the department for the 1,293rd game. Los Angeles (11-4) handled business while James recovered and continued to do so with a dominant second half after an early challenge from Utah.
Early concerns over the idea of James interrupting the respective SoCal breakouts of Luka Dončic and Austin Reaves went by the wayside: Dončić scored 37 points while Reaves had 26 more, the two uniting to shoot over 54 percent from the field. It was Doncic’s sixth occasion with at 37 this season, breaking a tie he held with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Maxey for the Association lead in such a category.
40-year-old LeBron James starts Season 23 by passing Reggie Miller on the NBA’s all-time 3PT list with a LeF**K You Three!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 19, 2025
Steph (4,109)
Harden (3,222)
Ray (2,973)
Dame (2,804)
Klay (2,729)
LeBron (2,561)
Reggie Miller (2,560)pic.twitter.com/XjnYZ5L9pX https://t.co/noyxZQmaXM
“I said at yesterday’s practice, I can fit in with anybody,” James said, per Sai Mohan of Heavy Sports. “I don’t even understand why that was even a question. What’s wrong with these people out here? I can fit right away with anybody.”
“He does things that other people can’t,” Doncic declared, per Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “He’s here to help us all.”
Game two of James’ 23rd season lands on Sunday when he and the Lakers face a rematch with the Jazz in Salt Lake City (5 p.m. PT, Spectrum Sportsnet).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
