Luka Doncic rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers lineup after missing time due to the birth of his second child in the game against Philadelphia on Sunday night, and legendary player Lebron James also made his much-awaited returned from injury and once again scored in double figures.
Due to a trip to his homeland of Ljubljana, Slovenia, where fiancée Anamaria Golte gave birth to their daughter Oliva, Doncic has missed the last two games. James missed Friday night’s game against Boston due to left foot joint arthritis and sciatica, which held him out of action for the first 14 games of the season.
James played 36 minutes in the Lakers’ 123-120 victory over Toronto on Thursday night. James will be 41 on December 30. James, the NBA’s career points leader, finished the game with just eight points, ending his run of 1,297 double-digit scoring games. James scored ten points in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the 76ers.
After the lengthy journey, Lakers coach JJ Redick, who has two kids with his wife Chelsea, expressed his optimism that Doncic would have the stamina to play.
“We do know there was some travel involved to a different continent,” Reddick said. “We’re hoping he’s himself today.”
Doncic – who leads the league with 35.3 points in his first full season with the Lakers – had fans for both teams shouting congratulations as he ran onto the court for warmups.
Redick hoped Doncic would feel as rewarded as his family did when the Redicks welcomed a second child.
“If you’re in a career with pressure and stakes and anxiety and all the things that come with being a high achiever, it can really ground you,” Reddick said. “It can give you a sense of purpose and perspective that maybe you didn’t feel. I felt that with both my children. With Kai (his youngest), getting to be his night nurse for the first six, seven weeks of his life until the season started was one of the coolest experiences of my life.”