Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is happy to playing basketball again, but the adjustment of being away from his family continues to have an impact on the superstar.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, James and other NBA players are competing within a bubble setup in order to avoid a potential spread of the virus. That’s forced all players to stay in touch with family online instead of under normal face-to-face circumstances.
“I miss the hell out of my family,” James said after the Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz on Monday. “My wife, my kids, my mother. And so on and so on. So, it’s a huge challenge.”
James is seeking to lead the Lakers to their first title in a decade but accomplishing that will make that date to return home an even longer one.
That’s because the 2020 NBA Finals aren’t scheduled to conclude until October, a date that’s more than two months away for the two teams that end up competing.
One positive in the current situation for James is that he remains an influential voice within the league, which allows him to speak on current hot-button issues such as systemic racism.
“It’s given us the opportunity to every single day speak about, feel passionate about, whatever is going on in your personal life, whatever is going on in society and us trying to make a change,” James said. “It’s being dynamic and being heard.”
In James’ first three games since play resumed last week, he’s collected 58 points, 29 rebounds and 21 assists, helping the Lakers to a 2-1 record and clinching the top seed in the Western Conference.
The next matchup for James and Lakers will be on Wednesday, when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
