After weeks of waiting, the Los Angeles Lakers finally had LeBron James back on the floor Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz. His return didn’t just boost the lineup but made history, as he became the first player ever to reach 23 NBA seasons. Despite the excitement, his agent says LeBron and head coach JJ Redick will need to stay closely connected throughout the season to manage what comes next.

“Look, at 41 years of age, I hope he is not playing back-to-backs,” Paul told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But at the same time, in order for him to make the All-NBA team and things like that … he can’t miss that many more games.” The Klutch Sports CEO further emphasized

LeBron James is clearly entering the twilight of his career, and it showed when he missed opening night for the first time. That absence now puts him in a difficult spot. To remain eligible for All-NBA or any major regular-season award, he must play in 63 of the Lakers’ remaining 69 games to meet the league’s 65-game requirement, a tough ask at this stage of his journey.

Although the veteran forward did appear for 70 regular-season games last season, here’s the tricky part. James will soon be turning 41, and the Lakers have 11 back-to-backs left on their schedule, something that might take a massive toll on him.

The Lakers superstar earned his first All-NBA honor back in 2005 and has been selected every following season. This has helped him build one of the most commendable and longest streaks in the sport’s history. However, that might now be at risk of breaking, after hearing what Paul had to say about his friend and client. So, can we say that James’ impressive All-NBA streak is now over?

Well, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet. Because after he made his season debut, JJ Redick was asked about how he’ll rest LeBron James for the rest of the season. To which he gave a pretty solid reply.

“We’ll do what we did last year, which is daily communication with him, with Mike (Mancias). We’re gonna have to, I used the word uncharted territory a few times in the preseason, we’re gonna have to just manage this as best as we can, given there’s no precedent for it. He knows his body better than anyone,” Redick said.

“Mike, obviously, is probably No. 2 there. So the level of communication we had last year and throughout this 6-7 week period has been really good, so I don’t expect it to change there. We’ll figure out ways to get him rest when he needs rest.” Redick further revealed.

So, by the looks of it, Redick has left the decision of not just playing back to back, but the entire availability, on LeBron himself. After all, it’s only he who can tell whether he’ll be able to clock in or not. So, whether James can keep his impressive streak alive or not, only time will tell. Meanwhile, there’s another and probably an even bigger decision awaiting him.

LeBron James makes a confession about his retirement

Just a few days back, Chris Paul confirmed that he will be the Point God’s last season in the league. Now, all eyes are on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. More so because he recently admitted just how rough a comeback he has had to make after suffering a sciatica injury during the offseason. Amid all this, retirement at the end of the season doesn’t sound too far-fetched.

However, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, sources close to King James maintain that he “remains undecided” on whether the 2025-26 season will be his last. This makes things a lot more interesting. The 40-year-old, who turns 41 soon, picked up his final player option on his two-year $101.3 deal with the Purple & Gold.

Now, as things stand, the four-time NBA champion will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current campaign. So, there’s a high chance that he might take his talent elsewhere, maybe back to Cleveland. Nonetheless, these are mere speculations for now, as everyone awaits to see what the future holds for the soon-to-be Hall of Famer.