December 9, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) gets ready before the game against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James seems to be retiring the phrase “load management” from his vocabulary.

After the Los Angeles Lakers’ 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night to improve to 2-0 on the season, James was asked by reporters if he would play in the second end of a back-to-back on Saturday. against the Sacramento Kings. James said he will be and revealed his lofty goal for this regular season – to play in all 82 games (barring injury).

LeBron James said he will play tomorrow against Sacramento and plans to play all 82 games this season barring injury.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 26, 2024

That’s a very ambitious goal for James, who will turn 40 later this year and has missed at least 25 games in three of the last four seasons (although James did appear in 71 games last season for the Lakers). While an injury to James (something not unlikely given his age) could quickly sink that plan, at least it shows he has the right mindset for this season.

The adjustment for James could be to conserve his energy by taking more of a back seat offensively, which he has done to this point (18.5 points per game in the opener, topping co-star Anthony Davis’ 35.5 ). James’ stance on trying to play all 82 games also comes in the middle other NBA teammates have already drawn criticism this season for their handling of the load.