James finished Sunday's 124-118 preseason loss to the Suns with 19 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks across 16 minutes.
James and Anthony Davis were the only Lakers starters to play less than 20 minutes Sunday, but the former still managed to lead the team in points. James' playing time during the preseason will likely be more than he saw Sunday. Los Angeles' next exhibition contest will be against Milwaukee on Thursday.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Officially available Sunday
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James (rest) will play in Sunday's preseason game against the Suns, Mark Medina of NBA.com reports.
James will see his first preseason run Sunday after sitting out the opener Friday. James will likely see limited time during the exhibition slate as the team evaluates secondary players and potential rotations.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Plans to play Sunday
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James (rest) is expected to play Sunday against the Suns, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
This is probably a decision that will be made Sunday before the game, but all signs point to James being available for Sunday's contest against the Suns. That game in Palm Springs will be the Lakers' second preseason contest following Friday's loss to the Timberwolves. James is set to play in his 22nd season in the NBA.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Won't play Friday
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James (rest) will be held out of Friday's preseason opener versus the Timberwolves, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
James will likely be under a minutes restriction throughout the preseason, giving coach JJ Redick a chance to further evaluate the second unit of Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish (undisclosed/soreness). Redick said Thursday that both James and Anthony Davis would play at some point this weekend, likely leaving James to make his preseason debut Sunday against the Suns.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Game-high 10 assists for gold
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James tallied 14 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block across 32 minutes in Team USA's 98-87 win over France in the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
James racked up a game-high 10 assists while leading Team USA past France for gold. The squad survived a late comeback bid by France and Victor Wembanyama. The 39-year-old James served as one of Team USA's top options throughout the Olympics, as the superstar averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 24.3 minutes per game in six Olympic matchups.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Helps push USA to gold medal game
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James accumulated 16 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 32 minutes during Thursday's 95-91 semifinal victory over Serbia.
James' triple-double was massive in helping Team USA pull off a comeback win from 17 points down. Stephen Curry stole the show with 36 points, and Joel Embiid was the only other player with double-digit points (19). The team is set to face France on Saturday in the gold medal game.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go in semifinals
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James (face) will start Thursday's semifinal matchup against Serbia.
As expected, James won't let a few stitches stop him from playing against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the Olympic semifinal matchup. The winner of Thursday's game will play France in hope of winning a gold medal.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Gets stitches after early exit
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James took an inadvertent elbow to his face during the third quarter of Tuesday's quarterfinal win over Brazil and needed four stitches before returning to Team USA's bench in the fourth quarter, Karl Rasmussen of SI.com reports.
James never checked back into the game after the incident, but he said following the win that he's okay, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. James finished the contest with 12 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes. The 39-year-old superstar continues to be one of Team USA's best all-around players, and he can be considered probable for Thursday's semifinal showdown versus Serbia.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Does it all in Olympic win
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James finished with 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-3 FT), nine assists, three rebounds and three steals across 17 minutes during Tuesday's 122-87 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics.
James did it all in Team USA's blowout victory, and he led the squad in assists and steals. Despite playing only 17 minutes in the contest, the superstar made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. The 39-year-old averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds across 22.0 minutes per game in three group-phase contests. James continues to be one of, if not the best all-around player for Team USA in these Olympic Games.
James tallied 12 points (5-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one steal in 21 minutes during Team USA's 103-86 win over South Sudan on Wednesday.
James led the United States starters in scoring during Wednesday's comfortable victory, and he also became the third player in Team USA history to score at least 300 career points during Olympic play. The 39-year-old was also a well-rounded contributor during Team USA's win over Serbia on Sunday, and he should remain involved as the United States attempts to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Nears triple-double in Olympic win
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James totaled 21 points (9-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine assists, seven rebounds and one steal across 27 minutes in Team USA's 110-84 win over Serbia in the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
James posted the second-highest scoring outing of the matchup and put up a near triple-double in the blowout win. The 39-year-old is one of the top options for Team USA, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet will be crucial in the squad's quest for gold. James may take a backseat in scoring, especially if Kevin Durant enters the starting lineup. However, James should aid the team in any way possible as the star-studded roster looks to continue their dominance in the group phase.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Game-high 20 points in win Monday
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James chipped in 20 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block across 18 minutes in Team USA's 92-88 exhibition game win over Germany on Monday.
James shot the ball efficiently and led the team in scoring despite playing only 18 minutes. The 39-year-old has been one of the top options for Team USA in their exhibition matchups leading up to the Paris Olympics. The superstar has also shot over 70 percent from the field in each of the squad's last three matches, and he hit the game-winner against South Sudan in Saturday's 101-100 victory.
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LeBron James: Staying in Los Angeles
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James and the Lakers agreed Wednesday on a two-year, $104 million contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Even though James declined his $51.42 million player option for the 2024-25 season over the weekend, there was never much doubt that he would re-signwith the Lakers in free agency. With an agreement on a new deal with the Lakers now in place, James will have the opportunity to play alongside his son, Bronny James, whom Los Angeles selected with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The elder James' contract includes a player option for the second season and a no-trade clause. In his age-39 campaign in 2023-24, James showed that he still has plenty left in the tank, averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 three-pointers and 1.3 steals in 35.3 minutes per contest over 71 regular-season appearances.
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LeBron James: Declines option, should stay in L.A.
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James declined his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season Saturday and will become an unrestricted free agent, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Though he'll technically hit the open market, James is fully expected to re-sign with the Lakers on a new deal, especially after the club recently drafted his son, Bronny James, and hired his podcast partner, JJ Redick, as head coach. The terms of the 39-year-old James' upcoming deal with the Lakers aren't yet fully known, but it will likely include a no-trade clause. The four-time NBA champion defied the aging curve once again in 2023-24, appearing in 71 games -- his most since the 2017-18 season -- and averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 three-pointers and 1.3 steals while shooting a career-best 41 percent from downtown last season.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Leads LA with 30 points
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James produced 30 points (11-21 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-7 FT), nine rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in 44 minutes during Monday's 108-106 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
James did everything in his power to extend the opening-round matchup, including playing all but four minutes of Game 5, but it wasn't enough to get the job done. The 39-year-old forward poured in 30 points in each of the last two games and consistently packed the stat sheet throughout the series, averaging 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks over five appearances.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Available for Game 5
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James (ankle) has been cleared to play in Monday's Game 5 against Denver, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
James and Anthony Davis (wrist) were each listed as probable to suit up, and they've both been given the green light for Monday's clash. James is coming off a 30-point performance in Game 4 and will need to produce at a high level again in Game 5 to give his team a chance to extend the series.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Probable for Game 5
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James (ankle) is probable for Monday's Game 5 against the Nuggets, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
James continues to deal with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy ahead of Game 5, but he'll likely be able to suit up once again. Over the first four matchups in the series, he's averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 40.0 minutes per game.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Shines with 30-point game Saturday
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James ended with 30 points (14-23 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals over 39 minutes during Saturday's 119-108 victory over the Nuggets in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers are still alive in the series against the Nuggets, and James became just the fourth player in NBA history to record a 30-point playoff game at the age of 39 or older, joining Reggie Miller, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on that exclusive list. James has surpassed the 25-point mark in each of the four games in this series, and the Lakers will need him to be at his best once again if they want to avoid elimination in Game 5 on Monday.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Cleared to play
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James (ankle) is good to go for Saturday's Game 4 versus the Nuggets.
No surprise here, as James was carrying his usual probable tag prior to this update. There's no word of any restrictions ahead of tipoff.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Listed as probable for Game 4
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James (ankle) is probable for Saturday's Game 4 versus Denver, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
James carrying probable tags due to left ankle soreness is par for the course. Fantasy managers should expect him to suit up with Los Angeles' season on the line, as the Lakers are winless through three games in the series.
