(CNN) — As Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James took to the court at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night to begin his 23rd season in the NBA, the 40-year-old added yet another record to his illustrious resumé – the longest career in league history.
Prior to Tuesday, James shared the accolade with Vince Carter, who played 22 NBA seasons from 1998 to 2020.
“It was just fun to be out there with the guys, man. It’s been rough mentally for me,” the four-time NBA champion said after the game, “this is the first time I’ve started a basketball season and not played since I’ve started playing basketball, like nine years old, I’ve never missed the beginning of a basketball season.”
Sporting his famed No. 23 jersey, James was on the hardwood for the opening tip against the Utah Jazz.
The public address announcer in the arena announced James’ achievement to a short ovation from the Lakers’ faithful during the first quarter. The future Hall of Famer acknowledged the crowd with a wave.
The Lakers got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 11 points early on. James was held scoreless in the opening quarter of play as the Jazz led 36-27 after 12 minutes.
James knocked down a three-pointer from the wing early in the second quarter for the first points of his history-making season.
As James heated up, so did the Lakers team. Los Angeles closed the gap in the second quarter and pulled away in the second half, winning comfortably, 140-126.
James finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and dishing out 12 assists in the game. The 21-time All-Star has now scored in double digits in a mind-boggling 1,293 consecutive games played.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said postgame: “Just thought he played with the right spirit. Very unselfish all night. Was a willing passer, didn’t force it, took his drives and his shots when they were there.
“The defense is going to pay attention to him, particularly when he has the ball in the post, particularly when he’s putting pressure on the rim, and I just thought he made a lot of great decisions tonight. Really good to have him back.”
The 21-time All-Star played 30 minutes in the game, on par with the rest of the LA’s starters as the Lakers eased him back into action. James had been concerned about his stamina ahead of Tuesday’s season debut.
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the guys. As the game went on, my wind got a lot better. Caught my second wind, caught my third wind,” James said. “Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.”
James missed the Lakers’ first 14 games of the 2025-26 campaign due to sciatica – a nerve issue causing pain that originates in the spine and radiates down the back of the leg.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer returned to Lakers’ practice this week after being absent from the team since the opening of training camp in early October due to what head coach JJ Redick said is a nerve irritation in his glute.
Retirement rumors swirled around James over the course of the past year, but in June, the four-time league MVP reportedly picked up his $52.6 million option to return for an eighth season with the Lakers.
Last year, playing in his record-tying 22nd season, James continued to display astounding productivity, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists while appearing in 70 games.
James had scored a record 42,184 regular-season points and 50,473 with the regular season and playoffs combined ahead of Tuesday night’s debut.
The Akron, Ohio, native entered the NBA to much fanfare as an 18-year-old after being selected No. 1 in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He turns 41 in December.
CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed to this report.