LeBron James returned to the Lakers’ lineup on Sunday night after missing their last two games for personal reasons and a left foot injury, and while he told reporters he was feeling “pretty good,” the 40-year-old superstar revealed also that his foot was injured. The injury has not yet subsided.

“It’s not behind me,” James told reporters after the Lakers’ 116-110 win over the Grizzlies, according to The Athletic. “It’s an everyday thing.”

James added that he has been struggling with the foot injury for several years, the outlet reported.

Head coach JJ Redick previously said his absence was excused for “personal reasons.”

Redick told reporters on Wednesday that James – who missed his first game of the season on Dec. 8 against the Trail Blazers – was away from the team and would “need some time” before returning, and that included missing a second game on Friday against the Timberwolves.

But he came back on Sunday and finished with 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting, although that didn’t help make the scoring average (23.0 points per game entering the night) James’ lowest mark since his rookie season (20.9). .

At one point during this recent crisis, James missed 20 consecutive 3-pointers, although he made 6 of 11 shots from long range in his final game before the two-game absence and made another three 3-pointers on Sunday.

“I felt my foot, felt my body… I did my pregame workout that Sunday for the Portland game and decided it would probably be best if I took that day off,” James said, according to the AP to reporters. “I had the opportunity to take more days and get my mind, my body and just everything to where I wanted to be for tonight and it worked out.”

James, whose son Bronny was drafted by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft and has bounced between the NBA and the G League, and the Lakers (14-12) do not play again until Thursday when they face the Kings.

“It’s very rare over the course of the season that you get to take advantage of the schedule,” James told reporters on Sunday, “and I was able to do that last week.”