Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James turns 41 years old today, and what better way to celebrate than by playing in an NBA game.
James and the Lakers are set to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and the freshly-minted 41-year-old will be out on the floor with his teammates.
LeBron James will play vs. Pistons on his birthday
James isn’t listed on the official injury report for the contest, so he will be good to go. The game against the Pistons will be the ninth consecutive game played by James, so it seems like the bout of sciatica that sidelined him for the first 14 games of the season is a thing of the past.
On the season so far, James has appeared in 14 games for the Lakers and posted averages of 20.5 points, 6.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 32.9 minutes per performance.
But, while James will be available against Detroit, the Lakers will be without a few key contributors. Austin Reaves (calf), Gabe Vincent (back) and Rui Hachimura (calf) have all been ruled out of the contest.
The Pistons have dropped two straight games, but they enter the matchup with the Lakers with the top record in the Eastern Conference at 24-8. Meanwhile, the Lakers sit fifth in the Western Conference standings at 20-10.
It will be the first of two meetings of the season between the Lakers and Pistons. The two teams will meet again in Detroit in March.