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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) points towards the official after he thought he was fouled driving to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on January 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers have abandoned morning shootarounds for the benefit of LeBron James, their 41-year-old superstar forward.
Head coach JJ Redick revealed the new Lakers practice routine on Sunday, on the eve of their Pacific Division clash against the Sacramento Kings.
“We made the decision 12-13 days ago that we weren’t gonna do shootaround in the mornings anymore. Part of that thought process was we have a 41-year-old who shouldn’t be on his feet twice a day,” Redick said, via ClutchPoints’ David Yapkowitz.
“Let’s only rev his engine once. The other part of it was just reading personnel, like what are we really getting out of shootaround based on who’s on our team.”
Lakers Face Grueling Schedule
The Lakers must endure a tough January schedule, which will see them be on the road for eight of their remaining 11 games, starting with Monday’s stop in Sacramento. The tough schedule will conclude with the annual Grammy Road Trip in the first week of February, when the Lakers travel to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
Redick admitted that the tough schedule has also played a part in the new routine.
“This is, generally speaking, our toughest month just from a game standpoint,” said the second-year head caoch. “We got front-loaded to start the season, and then we kind of paced everything out. Now we’re front-loaded again this month. But it’s kind of just for us to kind of deal with it. I think it’s just reading the team.”
LeBron James Beating Father Time
James is playing at a very high level for a 41-year-old, averaging 21.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals through 19 games. However, the Lakers have internally decided to be cautious about playing him in consecutive games, as they sat him out against the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back.
“Every back-to-back for the rest of the season is TBD,” James said last week.
To James’ credit, he has been very upfront about his limited time as a pro athlete. Ahead of his 41st birthday last month, he joked about overcoming Father Time.
“I’m in a battle with him [Father Time],” James said. “And I would like to say that I’m kicking his a** on the back nine.”
The golfing reference at the end of that quote was rather apt, considering that LeBron James is admittedly more interested in watching golf clips on YouTube than following the modern NBA. Still, he’s playing at an unprecedented level for a 41-year-old.
Since turning 41 on Dec. 30, James has averaged 28.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals on 55/33/86 shooting splits. He’s been a +8.8 on the floor during this stretch that has seen the Lakers go 3-1.
The Lakers (23-13) will try to snap their two-game losing streak Monday night against the Kings (9-30). They’re currently just one game ahead of the seventh-seeded Houston Rockets (22-14) and face the risk of falling into the play-in with a few more losses.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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