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LeBron James Managing Foot Arthritis and Sciatica as Sixers Start Camp

Team staff have added early-morning treatment routines and formal workload plans to try to preserve his availability for the regular season.

Overview

  • A Monday ESPN report said James is being treated for chronic arthritis in his left foot and recurring sciatica in his lower back.
  • He arrives at the Sixers facility well before practice for daily work with longtime trainer Mike Mancias that focuses on stretching, activation and targeted treatment.
  • James commutes from New York to Philadelphia by a roughly 40-minute private helicopter trip that lands on the team office helipad, a logistics choice noted in reporting from inside camp.
  • Head coach Nick Nurse and the front office are mapping out load-management plans, including how to handle James and Joel Embiid on back-to-back games, and there is no public indication he will miss the Oct. 20 season opener.
  • At 41 and on a two-year veteran-min contract, James has said he will pace himself and the team views careful minutes sharing with other stars as central to keeping the roster healthy for a title push.