Lakers’ LeBron James ‘refreshed’ heading into 2023-24 season

Los Angeles Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James is “refreshed” heading into the 2023-24 season, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Dave McMenamin.

After hinting at retirement after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, LeBron announced at the 2023 ESPY Awards that he would continue playing next season.

“When I asked LeBron how he was feeling this year, the term used was ‘energy,’ a source close to LeBron told me,” McMenamin said. “You think about this summer, his priority was getting medical care and attention, finding specialists for his son Bronny, who had a heart condition during his early internship at USC. But as part of that, when LeBron and When Bronny was traveling with him, he was looking for a gym. I heard he started training before the sun came up and that was his routine, and he was training twice a day in the weeks leading up to training camp next week.”

LeBron signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers last offseason. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season. The future Hall of Famer averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists last season.

LeBron then averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the 2023 playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Nuggets. Despite being 38 years old, the Akron native is still one of the best players in the world.

The Lakers re-signed D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura in the offseason, and also signed Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Kawhi Reddish, Christian Wood and Jackson Hayes. General manager Rob Pelinka said during the Las Vegas Summer League that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have recovered from foot injuries they suffered last season.

LeBron missed 13 consecutive games from late February to late March due to a torn tendon in his right foot. The Chosen One won’t need offseason surgery.

LeBron played 278 games with the Lakers, averaging 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He led the team to the 2020 championship over the Miami Heat in six games at the Walt Disney World campus in Orlando, Florida. LeBron will wear No. 23 again next season after giving up No. 6 in honor of the late great Bill Russell.