LeBron James finally back on court as Lakers weigh Tuesday return

LeBron James was back on the practice floor Monday, and the next 24 hours will determine whether he makes his season debut Tuesday against the Jazz.

If he does, he becomes the first player in NBA history to reach 23 seasons.

James, 40, hasn’t practiced with the Lakers since developing sciatica before training camp. He missed the season opener for the first time in his life and only recently ramped things up with a pair of sessions for South Bay in the G League.

Monday marked his first full workout with the main group.

“Just trying to get back to where I feel like myself again,” James told reporters, via the Associated Press. “Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus.”

James admitted the conditioning will take time.

“My lungs feel like a newborn baby,” he joked. “I’ve got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone after one day barking out calls. Be a lot of tea and rest tonight.”

James said the sciatica originally flared two offseasons ago and worsened this summer while he was still working back from a knee sprain suffered in last year’s playoff loss to Minnesota.

“Everything kind of changed,” he said. “But it’s all a blessing in disguise.”

Is he pain-free?

“I wouldn’t go that far,” James said, adding that sciatica is “one of those things where you hope you don’t feel it when you get out of bed.”

Still, the Lakers are thrilled to have him trending upward.

“It was great to have him with the group for the first time,” coach JJ Redick said. “This is the first time we’ve had all 14 guys available for a practice.”

Los Angeles enters Tuesday at 10-4 despite limited availability from several rotation players. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have kept the offense humming, and new center Deandre Ayton has been a welcome constant.

James is eager to rejoin the mix.

“I missed these guys,” he said. “I don’t miss the travel. I’m about to be 41 years old. But I do miss the competition.”

As for chemistry, James believes it will come naturally.

“It’s like a kid going to a new school,” he said. “They’ve got some great chemistry. I’m just going to feel my way back in and do it organically.”