Smooth debut for LeBron in his 23rd season in the NBA
The Lakers star, who had yet to play for the Lakers due to injury this season, played a part in his team's victory on the night he became the first player to reach that number of years played in the world's top league.
LeBron celebrates his debut in what will be his 23rd NBA season.
LeBron James experienced a full night on Tuesday. The Lakers franchise player, previously unseen due to injury, became the first basketball player to compete in 23 seasons of the NBA in Tuesday's Los Angeles Lakers 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz.
King James, a collector of all kinds of records, left a strong physical impression in his 30 minutes on the court. The forward scored 11 points and dished out 12 assists, leaving the offensive weight on the shoulders of Luka Doncic, who finished with 37 points and 10 assists.
"It was my first game in quite some time, almost seven months. Everything that happened tonight was as I expected," LeBron said in statements picked up by AFP. "It was a little shaky at the beginning, obviously that was to be expected, but as the game went on my rhythm improved a lot. I was happy with the way I was able to keep up with the guys."
LeBron, who turns 41 in December, was sidelined for the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica. Without their leader, the Lakers exhibited a better-than-expected performance with 10 wins and four losses.
All-time leading scorer in the NBA and four-time champion, LeBron is now the only player to have played 23 seasons, breaking the tie in longevity he held with the retired Vince Carter, who played 22 campaigns.
Comeback to celebrate LeBron's new record
The forward was greeted with a huge ovation by the Los Angeles crowd when his image appeared on the giant screens in the lead-up to the game.
He struggled to get into rhythm once the action started but, eight minutes before halftime, he opened his account with a three-pointer and then made sure he didn't lose his streak of 1,293 consecutive games with at least 10 points.
The Lakers' poor defensive intensity had them trailing the Jazz, led by young Keyonte George (33 points), who wasn't even born when LeBron made his NBA debut in 2003.
The Lakers went into halftime down by four points but reacted quickly on the strength of Doncic, who scored 17 points in the third quarter.
A 21-5 run allowed the hosts to comfortably head into the final quarter. LeBron retired to rest with six minutes left and enjoyed big time from the bench when his son Bronny scored a three-pointer.
Pistons continue to grow
In another of Tuesday's six games, the Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to 11 games, the franchise's longest since 2008, with a 120-112 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pistons, who lead the East with a 13-2 record, got 25 points and 10 assists from star guard Cade Cunningham.
In a surprising start to the season, Detroit has barely conceded one more loss than the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and have a three-win lead over their chase in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A good Curry is not enough for the Warriors against the Magic
In Orlando, the Magic neutralized a brilliant performance by Stephen Curry to beat the Golden State Warriors 121-113.
Curry scored 34 points, 22 of them in the first half, and seven three-pointers and was seconded by Jimmy Butler, with 33 points.
The efforts of the two veteran stars were insufficient for a Warriors in which only Draymond Green (12 points) also reached double figures in scoring.
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