LeBron James reportedly dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot

Being in the NBA for 24 years brings many accolades and accomplishments.

For 41-year-old LeBron James, it also comes with plenty of aches and pains. In a story by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James is reported to be dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot.

The star forward begins his daily routine at the 76ers facility at 7:45 a.m., after flying in from New York via helicopter. James then works with his longtime trainer, Mike Mancias, who leads him through stretches and activations to warm up his body.

Mancias pays special attention to the 41-year-old’s left foot to help with his chronic arthritis, then focuses on his lower back.

James missed a month at the start of the 2025-2026 season with the Los Angeles Lakers because of sciatica, and part of his daily work with Mancias helps alleviate those lingering symptoms. While James is no stranger to injuries, he has played in at least 55 games in every non-COVID season of his career.

James is in his first year with the 76ers, his 24th overall in the NBA. He joined Philadelphia as a free agent this past summer. While he didn’t go so far as to orchestrate “The Decision 2,” the forward certainly made everyone wait on his decision, as he was reportedly mulling over joining five different teams.

McMenamin’s story gives a behind-the-scenes look at the first week of James’ training camp with his new team. One interesting nugget is that the week began with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and James meeting as a foursome to work on two-man plays to get a jump start on adjusting to how they expect defenses to trap them.

“All four of those guys are going to be trapped somehow during the game, whether it’s in the post or on the wing, the source continued. “We worked a lot on passing out of the post, making the extra pass to the corner.”

“All four of those guys are going to be trapped somehow during the game, whether it’s in the post or on the wing, the source continued. “We worked a lot on passing out of the post, making the extra pass to the corner.”

The lone projected starter not included was 21-year-old VJ Edgecombe, though it was assumed he would soon join the pre-practice walkthroughs with the other starters. At training camp, Edgecombe seemed proud to create a new group chat for the team.

“Before ‘Bron got [here], I was like, ‘Yo, I’m making a group chat: Me, ‘Rese, JB, Joel,'” Edgecombe said of his initial plan he shared with Maxey. “And then ‘Bron came, and obviously I don’t got LeBron James’ number, so … I told Tyrese to do it. I asked Tyrese if he could [add him]. … But it was my idea. Anyone telling you it was their idea, they’re lying.”

“Before ‘Bron got [here], I was like, ‘Yo, I’m making a group chat: Me, ‘Rese, JB, Joel,'” Edgecombe said of his initial plan he shared with Maxey. “And then ‘Bron came, and obviously I don’t got LeBron James’ number, so … I told Tyrese to do it. I asked Tyrese if he could [add him]. … But it was my idea. Anyone telling you it was their idea, they’re lying.”

The new-look 76ers will take the court together for the first time on Monday night for a preseason game against the New York Knicks.

The 2026-2027 season opens on Tuesday, October 20, and the second of three Opening Day games will see the 76ers face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, where James is expected to make his official team debut.