LeBron James is about to play in what will be a record-tying 22nd NBA season. He’s been the oldest player in the league for the past two years as he approaches his 40th birthday in December, and yet is still performing at an All-Star level. We’ve truly never seen anything like it in the NBA, and amongst his contemporaries across all sports, can only be compared to someone like Tom Brady in the NFL, who played until he was 45.
Injuries have hampered James in his twilight years, but when he’s healthy — and fully rested — he can easily turn back the clock and become the most dominant, unstoppable player on the floor (look no further than the 2024 Paris Olympics). He might be 39 years old, but James can still play 35+ minutes a game, and get you an efficient 25 and 8 on a nightly basis. So when James was put on a minutes restriction to start last season by the Lakers and coach Darvin Ham, he wasn’t too thrilled about it.
In a new Netflix documentary series called “Starting 5” — which followed five NBA players, James included, through the 2023-24 season — the league’s all-time leading scorer called the minutes restriction he was on in the Lakers season opener against the Denver Nuggets “garbage.”
“I know you got me on f—ing old man time percentages and shit,” James can be seen telling Lakers assistant coaches during a timeout against the Nuggets last Oct. 24. “Play eight minutes and shit. Two shots in eight minutes, just getting cardio. I hate this shit already, this shit’s garbage.”
James played 29 minutes that 12-point L.A. loss, and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. However, it was a competitive game, and had James played more there’s a chance that the Lakers could’ve won. At the time, LeBron’s minutes were a major talking point after the loss, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham said following that game that it could be a trend through the whole season.
“We’ll see. In all likelihood, yes,” Ham said. “It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches, but in order for him to be as effective as possible, we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are.”
James initially said that he “always wants to be on the floor,” and that “I guess there’s a system in place, and, you know, I’ll follow it,” in regards to his minutes restriction. But when asked to clarify if he was caught of guard on the limited minutes he followed up with, “No, I’m not surprised. … I talked to coach and we had a game plan going into Game 1. So I’m not surprised or upset.”
In the new documentary, however, LeBron’s comments show that he was more annoyed about the minutes restriction than we originally thought.
“The minutes restriction it’s something that I don’t agree with, I’ve never agreed with it,” James said in the documentary. “I prepare my body physically and mentally prepare my mind for battle. I’ve had conversations and talks and battles with my coaches. I get it, but I also understand me. And I get me, and there’s nobody that gets me more than me.”
Ultimately, James’ minutes restriction was short lived, as he played 35 minutes the very next game for the Lakers last season in a win over the Suns. Following that game, James said that Ham asked him if he could play the entire fourth quarter, to which the four-time champion said, “…It was an easy answer for myself. I know how much work I’ve put in to be able to play quarters or whatever the case may be. And I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box.”
James averaged 35.3 minutes last season, which was on par with what he played during the 2022-23 season (35.5 minutes). He also eclipsed 70+ games for the first time since the 2016-17 season, showing that he can still play heavy minutes and stay healthy. Given James’ now public comments on how he views minutes restrictions we’ll see if new head coach (and LeBron’s ex-podcast partner) JJ Redick will handle playing time this season for the aging star. There’s been no indication that James would be on a minutes restriction, but that could change if injuries happen, or if the Lakers just want to preserve him for a potential playoff run down the line.
