Is LeBron James playing tonight against the Phoenix Suns? Latest on 4x NBA champion's status (Oct. 28)

LeBron James' fourth-quarter takeover against the Sacramento Kings helped the LA Lakers carve a 3-0 lead to start their NBA 2024-25 season. The 39-year-old, who has featured in all three games so far, has looked in good form as the Purple and Gold gear up for a five-game road trip starting against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on Monday (Oct. 28).

James has already expressed his desire to go Iron Man and play all 82 games this season, although he did add a "we'll see what happens" when he spoke about his intentions to suit up each game. As for his availability, he is expected to play against Kevin Durant and Phoenix for the second time this regular season. The Lakers' injury report does not feature him at the time of writing.

However, with the road trip featuring games against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, there's a possibility that he may be rested for a game or two.

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LeBron James hated the minutes restrictions imposed on him early last season

This time last season, there was a stir when former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham announced his plans to put LeBron James on a minutes restriction to preserve him for longer stretches throughout the season. The move all but lasted one game after the 4x NBA champion expressed his displeasure of being on the bench when he could be helping the side win.

He could be seen visibly upset as evidenced in the Netflix documentary series "Starting 5" which followed James alongside Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, and Anthony Edwards through the 2023-24 season.

The league's all-time leading scorer could be seen miffed when he was on minutes restriction in their season opener against the Denver Nuggets.

"I know you got me on f***ing old man time percentages and s**t," James can be seen telling Lakers assistant coaches during a timeout against the Nuggets last Oct. 24. "Play eight minutes and s**t. Two shots in eight minutes, just getting cardio. I hate this s**t already, this s**t's garbage."

This season, James has averaged 34.09 minutes per game and has propped up 23.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. The Lakers will still heavily rely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis for their production, and if the 4x NBA MVP indeed manages to stay healthy and play as many games as he can, expect LA to be a shoo-in come playoff time.