PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers announced that LeBron James will sit out their preseason opener against the Knicks, allowing his chronic left-foot arthritis to take an early 1-0 lead in the season-long load-management standings.
James, 41, is entering his 24th NBA season and first with Philadelphia. He has reportedly been managing chronic arthritis in his left foot while also continuing treatment for lingering lower-back issues.
The Sixers responded by doing the only sensible thing possible: refusing to let him play basketball that does not technically count.
“Big win for preservation,” one team staffer said. “We’re trying to keep him fresh until at least the games where people are keeping track.”
James won’t be alone on the sideline. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona are also expected to miss the opener, leaving Nick Nurse with a preseason lineup designed primarily to reveal which players remember where to stand.
The extra rest will also create more reps for Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe, who are expected to take on larger responsibilities while Philadelphia experiments with its new rotations.
James, meanwhile, has reportedly continued arriving early for treatment, stretching, activation work and whatever other maintenance is required to keep a 41-year-old body functioning through an NBA season.
Sources say the Sixers are not concerned.
The preseason exists for experimentation.
Philadelphia has already successfully tested its first concept:
Do not play LeBron unless absolutely necessary.
