12 assists and 0 power struggles! James transformed his organization and brain and took a back seat. Rumors of leaving the Lakers were shattered.

LeBron James made his long-awaited debut of the 2025-26 season on Wednesday. This is definitely a historic moment for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. He officially became the first player in NBA history to wear his 23rd season jersey.

James missed the first 14 games of the season due to a rare injury of sciatica, but he looked strong when he returned in this game, helping the Lakers defeat the Utah Jazz 140-126 at home to win three consecutive games and improve their record to 11-4. Lost, ranking 4th in the Western Conference.

James, who had just come back, had his playing time in this game strictly limited. He only played 29 minutes in the game, and he played more of an organizer role in the game, contributing 12 assists, 11 points and 3 rebounds. While he still looks like the same James we've become accustomed to seeing later in his career, this is the first time we've seen him in a new Lakers lineup built around two scorers in Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves.

Before his comeback, James revealed in an interview that he would adjust to any role, and in the game against the Jazz, everything went according to plan, because Doncic (37 points) and Reeves (26 points) continued to shoulder the heavy responsibility on the offensive end.

All summer, people have been speculating about the four-time MVP's future with the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, he may have to take a back seat behind Doncic and Reeves, which is a situation that has never happened in his career. Moreover, the outside world has also questioned whether the Lakers really have the strength to compete for the championship. This is also James' biggest wish at the end of his career, to tie his good friend Bryant Kobe's historical achievement of 5 championships in his career. But the first 15 games have shown that this Lakers team can indeed compete for a championship.

Over the past year, we've all heard a lot of rumors about the future Hall of Famer's possible destinations to pursue another championship ring, including the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and even a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While joining some of these teams is certainly intriguing, the Lakers' performance in 2025-26 makes it clear that his best chance to compete for a championship now and in the coming years remains in Los Angeles.

Now that James is back in the lineup and the Lakers continue to advance, any rumors surrounding his move to another team should be put to rest. The 40-year-old is playing out an expiring contract and is in the final season of a two-year, $101.356 million extension he signed in 2024.

With James unable to play, once the Lakers perform poorly at the start of the season, it will immediately trigger heated discussions about his future as an unrestricted free agent, but with everything going well in the first month of the season, it is time to put that aside.

James' return allows the Lakers to form a Big Three of him, Doncic and Reaves, a configuration that few teams in the league can match. Coupled with the solid performance of Ayton and Rui Hachimura, as well as efficient substitutes such as Laravia and Smart, the Lakers have all the elements to become a championship-level team.

And let’s not forget that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is always very aggressive. As the trade deadline approaches, he will certainly not stop the pace of strengthening and adding one or two more influential players to the already established lineup. By then, the Lakers will become a real threat to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets or Houston Rockets in the playoffs. If James can add a fifth championship in his 23-year career, what a perfect story it would be.