LeBron James is grinding through chronic arthritis and sciatica at 41 as he starts his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers after six years in Los Angeles.
The four-time NBA champion is entering an unprecedented 24th season still working around damage in his left foot and lower back, according to injury details first laid out in ESPN reporting and carried in The Sun’s account of his move to Philadelphia.
James missed the first month of the 2025-26 season with sciatica. He also dealt with chronic arthritis in his left foot across that same campaign. Now the daily maintenance starts before most of the league is awake.
His routine begins at the Sixers’ training complex around 7:45 a.m. Longtime athletic trainer Mike Mancias meets him there to work on the body that has carried him this far.
ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin described the drill in plain terms.
"James’ daily routine begins at the Sixers’ training complex around 7:45 a.m., when he is met by his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias, to work on his body,"
McMenamin added the checklist that follows.
"There is stretching, activation and modalities to check off as he embarks on an unprecedented 24th NBA season, breaking his NBA record for player longevity with every game he plays."
The same report flagged the problem areas that now get special attention.
"And 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."
The arthritis detail rests on sources who spoke to ESPN, not on a public medical release from James or the 76ers. The sciatica absence is tied to the start of that season. Both issues followed him out of his final stretch with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last season, at age 41, James played 60 games. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in close to 33 minutes a night. He earned his 22nd All-Star selection along the way.
Those numbers came while he was already managing the foot and the back. He did not invent a softer standard for himself. He showed up, logged the minutes he could, and kept producing at a level most players never reach in their primes.
He joined the 76ers after a playoff exit with the Lakers. Philadelphia is his new stop after six campaigns in Los Angeles. The work did not get lighter with the change of address.
The 76ers are not treating this as a farewell tour. The club swung a blockbuster trade for NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, kept Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and expects rising piece VJ Edgecombe to matter. The franchise is being cast as a title contender again.
That bar is high for a reason. The New York Knicks swept Philadelphia in the second round on the way to a championship. Jalen Brunson led New York to its first title in 53 years last summer. The Knicks kept most of that core and will try to defend the crown while 30 teams chase the same trophy.
The league itself is leaning into a bigger stage. Before last season, the NBA locked in new TV deals with NBC, Amazon Prime, and ESPN. More eyes will be on every star who can still carry a night. James remains one of those names, if the foot and the back hold.
None of this erases the medical reality. Chronic arthritis does not clock out for opening night. Sciatica already cost him a month. The 7:45 a.m. sessions are not theater. They are the price of trying to play meaningful basketball in a 24th season.
James has built a career on refusing to quit early. The question in Philadelphia is simpler and harder at the same time: can the maintenance keep pace with the minutes a contender will demand?
Longevity in pro sports is not a slogan. It is early mornings, honest limits, and a body that still answers when the game asks. That standard does not care about highlights or headlines.
