LeBron James became the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons when he stepped onto the court for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old, who missed his side’s opening 14 games of the season because of sciatica, contributed 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz.
James – the NBA’s record scorer – overtook Vince Carter’s mark of having played in 22 successive NBA seasons, while his two three-pointers also moved him above Reggie Miller into sixth place in the NBA’s all-time list of most three-pointers made.
“It’s been a long time since he played basketball, so I think for the first game back, he looked amazing,” said Lakers team-mate Luka Doncic.
“He’s going to keep getting his rhythm, and help us a lot.”
Doncic had a game high 37 points and four steals in the win against the Jazz as he also contributed 10 assists and five rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, while Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen scored 34 and 31 points respectively for Utah.
The win puts the Lakers fourth in the Western Conference, with the Jazz in 10th place.
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