News of LeBron James Suffering From ‘Chronic Arthritis’ Draws Flak On Social Media – “Already With The Excuses”

41-year-old superstar LeBron James is about to start what will be an NBA record 24th season in the league.

News of LeBron James Suffering From ‘Chronic Arthritis’ Draws Flak On Social Media – “Already With The Excuses”

LeBron James struggling with arthritis (Image via NBA Central/X)

The idea that a 41-year-old LeBron James makes the Philadelphia 76ers preseason favorites to win the 2027 championship is already a foregone conclusion. However, there is one aspect that could change the outcome: health.

Franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid has missed more games than he has played. When healthy, he is without a doubt one of the, if not the, best big men in the league.

But his various ailments, along with his conditioning, have left fans believing that the Cameroonian-American has only himself to blame for not being able to fulfill his potential.

Embiid looks like he has shed a lot of weight this offseason, which should be good news for Sixers faithful, who have long been waiting for ‘The Process,’ which started more than a decade ago, to reach its goal. Now, they have something else to worry about.

There is special attention paid to his left foot, which has chronic arthritis, sources told ESPN, and his lower back, which caused him to miss the first month of last season because of sciatica.

Dave McMenamin revealed

The longtime ESPN reporter has followed LeBron James to the Sixers. There, he detailed how the four-time champion was integrating into life with his new team. Now, the team’s medical staff is working to help their leader deal with his chronic arthritis. This adds complexity to the franchise’s opening schedule.

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Fans tear into LeBron James and his PR machine for starting another round of excuses

The moment Yahoo Sports spread this part of the article on social media, it did not take long for the news to spread like wildfire. After all, this was about LeBron James, and no news goes unnoticed.

Fans quickly called out the father of three and his PR machine for trying to conjure up excuses, in the same manner he allegedly did last season with sciatica. They believe that this is another ruse to give him rest until later in the season. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Beyond the critics, many defended LeBron James. They pointed out that middle-aged men face these issues. Therefore, for someone who has played in that many games, it was bound to give him problems.

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LeBron James happy with scrimmages with new 76ers teammates

While LeBron James did not suit up for the Sixers’ first preseason game with this chronic arthritis, he has been scrimmaging with his new teammates. He said this after the last of them, where it seemed as if the new team was clicking.

76ers' retooled team need to build chemistry
76ers’ retooled team need to build chemistry (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

To be able to take what we’ve done on the practice floor, bring it to a game-floor situation around our fans… it was a great first step in the direction we’re trying to go. And it was great to hear some cheers.

Dave McMenamin quoted LeBron James

This means that apart from his health issues, the four-time league MVP is happy with how fast this team has started to learn each other’s nuances and perform well together. James knows the process will take time. But any progress is good progress.

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