LeBron James hints that he’s closing in on Lakers season debut

LeBron James might be just about ready.

The Lakers star and league’s oldest active player fired off a subtle hint on Instagram, posting a photo of his sneaker on the hardwood with an hourglass emoji.

For a guy who hasn’t played a minute this season because of sciatica on his right side, that’s about as close as LeBron gets to saying “soon.”

He’s been ramping up all week, including a full-contact run with the South Bay Lakers. And at age 40, turning 41 in December, his return is something the Lakers would gladly circle in ink.

James has one year left on his contract and will hit unrestricted free agency next summer for the first time since 2018.

Last season, he still looked like, well, LeBron — with averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists in 70 games, plus another All-NBA nod and a sixth-place finish in MVP voting.

The Lakers haven’t exactly fallen apart without him. They’re 9-4 behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but everyone knows what this version of L.A. is supposed to look like.

Namely, Luka as the engine, LeBron as the closer, and the rest filling in the blanks.

Since arriving in 2018, James has averaged 26.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists across 419 games, delivered a 2020 championship, and added a mountain of milestones to an already absurd résumé. F

our-time MVP, four-time champion, first player ever with 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. The list just keeps growing.

Now the only question is when the hourglass runs out.