"LeBron James began this N.B.A. season, his twenty-third, as a punch line. When it was announced, in October, that he would miss a number of early games because of sciatica, a cartoon showing him struggling to get out of the bathtub went viral."
"James turned forty-one at the end of that month, an age at which many people start to notice the normal degeneration of their tendons and joints. Time comes for us all, of course, and it comes with some ferocity when you have played more than sixty thousand minutes of high-contact professional basketball."
"Instead of ripping through seams of the defense as he bullied his way to the basket, he often stayed above the key. Instead of hunting shots with the ball in his hands, he focussed on being a playmaker."
"They still won most of their games, but unconvincingly-over all, toward the end of February, they had given up more points than they'd scored. They'd suffered a number of humiliating blowouts."
LeBron James, now 41, is experiencing the physical toll of a long NBA career, facing injuries like sciatica and arthritis. His performance has shifted from aggressive scoring to playmaking, reflecting his adaptation to age-related changes. The Lakers initially performed well without him, raising questions about his impact on the team's success. Despite still being a visionary player, James's presence has not guaranteed victories, and the team has struggled with defensive issues and inconsistent performances since his return.
Read at The New Yorker
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