On Wednesday, LeBron James scored 28 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-94 win over Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, taking a 2-0 series lead in the process.
We’ll see where it goes from here, but considering how the 2025-2026 NBA season started for James and the Lakers, their run towards the playoffs is just the latest in a long line of impressive storylines throughout his storied career.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst stopped by to discuss LeBron’s legacy. In doing so, he explained how the 41-year-old looked so run-down before the season started that he began to presume James was destined to retire this year.
“The story of this individual season is very interesting in the LeBron landscape,” said Windhorst. “Because when he first came back, Dan, with that sciatica thing, he looked terrible… just being fair. Like, and I’m not saying that it was shocking, but for the first time, he looked old.
“I remember watching when he first came back, whatever it was, late November-December, and saying, ‘Oh, this might be it.’ In fact. I had a meeting with my bosses, and I go, ‘You know, we may need to start our content planning for him retiring because he looks for the first time like an old man who can’t compete. And he looked like that because he couldn’t really work out all summer. He had no training camp.
“And as the season went along, he got himself into better condition. And by the time the spring came, when they really needed them, he was in great shape. Whatever he does in between these games to keep his back healthy and get himself into actual physical condition has been great.”
Windhorst added that James’s game has changed throughout this season alone as he’s sought the right role for himself and his teammates.
“Midway through this year, he took a step backwards or sideways, whatever you want to say, so that it could work better with Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić. So he took, even if he was feeling 100% and was feeling like a 30-year-old, he significantly adjusted the way he played the game. And then in this last moment of the season, he shifts and has to go back to being normal LeBron again.
“And a lot of people on the Lakers have their sleeves rolled up and are doing work here that are making this thing put together. But the story of LeBron’s season is really remarkable to watch. And he has traits about him that are sometimes annoying. But when you look at the actual thing that he’s doing, when you look at the actual accomplishment and take it for its value, it’s pretty darn remarkable.
“Not just that he’s 41, just that he’s doing just what he’s done this year, which has been unlike any season he’s had before.”
By all accounts, James will be back in the NBA next season, but as Windhorst alluded to, you never know month-to-month what that’s going to look like.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.