Lakers' LeBron James Reflects on 'Mental Challenge' of Current Season

Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James made his return to the court after missing the team’s past two games due to a foot injury. The 39-year-old helped lead his team to a solid 116-110 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.

James nearly contributed a triple-double finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. The Lakers lost both matchups the team’s leader was ruled out for, and they were fortunate to have their floor general back on the court as if there was never an injury to begin with.

Leading up to his return, James initially missed last Sunday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a sore foot. It was then reported James would go on to miss a few practices the following week, including one in specific for “personal reasons”. There was no real timeline as to when the veteran forward would make a return to the team; he was merely listed as “day-to-day”.

In Sunday’s matchup against Memphis, the Lakers appeared to be clicking on all cylinders building up a 20-point lead in the third quarter. It felt as if Los Angeles had the game comfortably in their control until star center Anthony Davis left the game briefly for a shoulder injury. The Grizzlies almost instantaneously staged a massive comeback cutting the lead to single digits.

Fortunately, Davis returned in the fourth quarter to close the game out leading all scorers with an incredible 40-point performance. The Lakers improved to 14-12 and currently sit at the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Although James’ absence in previous games was alarming, he reassured fans everything was under control following Sunday’s matchup.

”I feel pretty good,” LeBron told reporters after the game. “It’s very rare throughout a season when you can take advantage of a schedule, and I was able to do that over the past week.”

When asked how he spent his time off over the week, LeBron confirmed lots of “training and rehab.” Reporters also inquired about the Lakers’ star’s mental health, as many were concerned what “personal matters” would keep LeBron away from his team.

LeBron was asked to determine if this season has been mentally taxing, as to which James responded by saying:

“No, not any different than any other year. The season’s always been a mind…y’all know the word I want to use but not going to use…but every year has it’s own challenges. This year is no different.”

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