LeBron James returns to practice; questionable vs. Jazz

LeBron James has returned to practice for the first time since the playoffs but he is questionable to play against the Utah Jazz. The Los Angeles Lakers veteran said he has been taking one step at a time during his recovery.

“We’ve been taking it literally one minute, one hour, one step at a time throughout this whole process,” James said. “So, see how I feel this afternoon, see how I feel tonight. When I wake up in the morning, we’ll probably have shootaround. So, just got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus.”

James missed all of training camp, the full preseason and the first 14 games because of sciatica affecting his lower back and down the right side of his body.

“It definitely sucks,” James said of the time he was sidelined. “Never in my life since I started playing the game of basketball have I ever not started the season. … So it’s been a mind test, but I’m built for it and it’s been putting in the work, both mentally and physically, trying to get myself ready to rejoin the team.”

The four-time NBA champion admitted it is challenging to overcome the injury.

“If you ain’t never had it, and people are making jokes about it, I pray you never get it,” James said. “It’s not fun.”

He added: “You wake up one day and you hope that when you step down from the bed that you don’t feel it. You go to bed at night, and you hope that when you’re in the bed that you don’t feel it. So, I’ve been doing pretty good with it as of late.

“There’s a lot of exercises and a lot of mobility things and a lot of things you can do to help it. So, I’m just keeping a positive mindset.”

James said his lungs are functioning like a new born baby and he wants to be 100% before he returns to the court.

“My lungs feel like a newborn baby,” James said. “That’s the most important thing. I got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone. One day back, barking out calls and assignments and stuff, getting my voice working again. [There will] be a lot of tea and rest tonight.”

The Lakers will face the Jazz on Tuesday.