After missing 13 games with a foot injury, LeBron James made his return to the floor against the Bulls on Sunday.
James' comeback was an outlier to what the superstar forward is used to, coming off of the bench for just the second time in his career.
The Lakers held their own in James' absence, going 8-5 to jolt themselves into the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Los Angeles leaves Sunday's loss to Chicago just two games back from a top-six seed, looking to lock itself into a playoff spot down the home stretch of the season.
With seven games remaining, James' return is a major boost as the Lakers try and avoid missing the postseason for the second consecutive year.
How did James look in his return to the floor? The Sporting News takes a deeper dive into his first game back, as well as a look back to the only other time the four-time MVP came off the bench.
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How did LeBron James play in return from injury?
The Lakers took a timeout with 6:32 to play in the first quarter, building up the anticipation for James to take the floor for the first time since Feb. 26. Even coming off the bench, James still had to deliver his signature chalk toss to get the crowd going.
LeBron comes off the bench for just the second time in his career.
— Sporting News NBA (@sn_nba) March 26, 2023
Just twice in 1,680 career games.
🎥: @NBA pic.twitter.com/DfawOdNI1p
It was a calm first quarter for James, who was clearly trying to ease himself back into a rhythm. The NBA's all-time leading scorer was playing passively, only attempting two shots in his first stint on the floor.
LeBron gets his first bucket since returning from injury 👑 pic.twitter.com/dOneU7LBz7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2023
He finally started to attack in the second quarter, proving his foot was healthy enough to get downhill and put pressure on the rim.
James began to look more like himself in the second half with 11 points, but he missed both his 3-point attempts and had a handful of careless turnovers.
The Lakers defense was so poor that James' return wasn't going to be enough to get the job done. The Bulls shot 54.0 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from 3, pulling away from Los Angeles midway through the fourth quarter.
Even with the Lakers all but out of the game, trailing by double digits (aside from a late push in the final minutes), head coach Darvin Ham elected to keep James on the floor until there was under one minute to play in the game.
Perhaps a good sign for the state of his foot injury, James logged 30 minutes, just six shy of his season average.
After the game, James gave reporters more insight into the diagnosis of his ailment.
According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, James said he tore a tendon in his right foot, and "doctors told him he healed from the injury faster than they’ve ever seen."
James said two different doctors recommended season-ending surgery but then he "went to see 'the LeBron James of feet'" and decided he'd be able to return this season.
He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five turnovers. It was clear there will be an adjustment period as James works his way back into the Lakers' rotation.
History of LeBron James coming off the bench
This was just the second time in 1,680 career games that James has come off the bench. The only other instance? Dec. 11, 2007, against the Pacers as a member of the Cavaliers.
James had missed five consecutive games due to a sprained left index finger. According to a story from Business Insider, when he was ready to make his return, he elected to come off the bench to protect his teammate, Anderson Varejao, from being booed.
Varejao was playing his first game of the season after a contract holdout delayed his debut.
"I thought it would raise the intensity of the fans, having me, Larry (Hughes) and Andy come into the game at the same time — and it worked," James told the media after the game, according to Amico Hoops' Don McCormack.
"I thought by coming in with Andy, it might stop some of the boos Andy might get."
James still made his usual impact, going for 17 points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block in a win in 23 minutes as a reserve.
"That was a one and done for me. I will not be coming off the bench anymore," James said after the game in 2007.
It held true until March 26, 2023.
