LeBron James returned Saturday night after the longest injury layoff of his career, and he looked fairly rust-free with that fact considered. However, what he said after the game probably won’t make a lot of Los Angeles Lakers fans feel particularly comforted.
James said he was “more stressful” than he’d ever been in his time away with a high ankle sprain, but he added that he does not really anticipate being in peak health ever again.
“I know getting back to 100% is impossible. I’ll never get back to 100% in my career,” James said, via Mark Medina of USA Today. “But I felt comfortable where I knew I could get on the floor and help my team win.”
It’s a frank, but correct assessment from James. He’s 36 years old, and while he can hopefully keep the extended absences to a minimum, he’s going to be battling things for the rest of his career. Some of them we may not even hear about. If he can effectively play through pain as he has in the past, the Lakers — or whichever team he is playing for — will be fine.
As it stands, the Lakers have some more immediate concerns as the playoffs approach.
