41-Year-Old LeBron James Says Back‑to‑Backs Are Optional Ahead of Crucial Spurs Tie

After the win over the New Orleans Pelicans, LeBron James addressed his status for Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

41-Year-Old LeBron James Says Back‑to‑Backs Are Optional Ahead of Crucial Spurs Tie

4-time NBA champion LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are on a good run at the moment. After back-to-back wins over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers secured a 111-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday night. Both James and Luka Doncic put on a show as they scored 30 points apiece.

Following the loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers had lost four of their previous five games, but they have bounced back since and are on a three-game winning streak. The win propelled the Lakers to third, overtaking the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings with a 23-11 record, while the Pelicans suffered their eighth consecutive loss and have dropped to 8-30 for the season.

The 2025-26 campaign represents an unprecedented 23rd season for LeBron James. James missed the first 14 games of the season, and while he was away, it was Doncic and Austin Reaves who ran the show for the Lakers. There were questions on how James would adapt to his new role without hurting the team’s chemistry but things have worked out fine so far.

With Reaves ruled out for a month due to injury, James has had to increase his workload on the offensive end and has formed a formidable partnership with Doncic. After a slow start to the campaign, James seems to have found his wind in his last 12 games. The four-time NBA Champion is currently averaging 21.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists, but is averaging 25.6 points in his last 12 games.

Considering he just turned 41 last week, it is unfair to expect James to play with energy on both ends of the floor. His lack of effort in defence, paired with Doncic and Reaves being poor defenders, has led the Lakers to struggle against younger and athletic teams, which is one of the main reasons why they are not seen as contenders this season.

In his 23rd season, James has recorded the most minutes in NBA history, and it is a lot to expect from him to be available for back-to-back games this season. With a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, James was asked about his availability for the fixture in his locker-room interview.

Every back-to-back for the rest of the season is TBD [to be determined]. I am 41, I got the most minutes in NBA history, bank it right now. What are we talking about?

James’ status for Wednesday’s clash remains to be seen, but the matchup against the Spurs is a big game considering both the clubs’ standings in the west at present.

Luka Doncic is at the top of the pecking order for the Lakers

Ever since the Lakers acquired Doncic in the middle of last season, they have not just traded for a great player; they traded for a generational talent who will be the face of the franchise for years to come. In the offseason, the Lakers have made it clear that this is Doncic’s team as they built the roster around him while they prepare for life in the post-James era.

During his interview, James emphasized that this is Doncic’s team and he is at the top of the pecking order.

Luka [Doncic] don’t need to bend his game [for me]. Luka is our [26-year-old] franchise for this ball club. He don’t need to bend his game. It’s up to us to bend our game around him and figure it out so just try to be dynamic and work off of him. It is up to us to put ourselves in the right position so its not a problem for me.

Doncic is having an MVP caliber season so far and is top-three in the MVP conversation behind Nikola Jokic and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Doncic also leads the league in points per game, averaging 33.5 points.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ chemistry keeps improving

There were a lot of questions heading into the 2025-26 season on how the Lakers’ system would accommodate both James and Doncic. With James ruled out in the beginning, Reaves turned into one of the best offensive players in the league.

Hence, more questions were asked about how James would fit in. But the 41-year-old has made it clear and accepted that it is Doncic’s team and everyone else, including himself, has to adjust to the Slovenian.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James will face a tough Spurs next
Luka Doncic (Left) and LeBron James (Right) (Image via DraftKings/X)

In the post-match press conference, Doncic opened up about his chemistry with James.

He’s been absolutely amazing. Just helping me out, helping others out, being super efficient … I think we’re both, we are playing better with each other, game by game. And this is just going to be improving more.

James and Doncic impressed once again on Tuesday and their chemistry seems to be improving with every passing game. James has seen his role off-the-ball go up as Doncic is the primary ball-handler and scorer for the team. It will be interesting to see how far the Lakers go this season with Doncic and James leading the way.

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