Father Time has caught up to LeBron James in at least one regard.
The Philadelphia 76ers star James is dealing with two notable health issues that have required “special attention” during training camp, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Monday. James reportedly suffers from chronic arthritis in his left foot and also continues to manage sciatica in his lower back.
The revelation from McMenamin came from a larger feature on James’ first training-camp experience as a member of the 76ers. You can read the feature in full at the link here.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, turns 42 years old later this year and is about to enter his record-extending 24th season in the league. As such, it makes sense that the physical ailments are piling up on him at this point.
Notably, James’ sciatica issue caused him to miss the first month of last season with the Los Angeles Lakers (with some concerning details emerging along the way). James ultimately managed to play in 60 total games, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per contest.
With the 76ers, James’ usage rate is expected to go down alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown (a trio of career 20-ppg scorers). That should certainly help The King’s cause from a health standpoint, especially since he may not even be done after this season.