LeBron managing chronic arthritis and sciatica into his first 76ers camp

October 5, 2026 · By The Sports Nus Staff · 5 min read

The biggest signing of the summer comes with a medical file. According to a behind-the-scenes report from ESPN on LeBron James' first training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers, the 41-year-old is dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot, and sciatica in his lower back forced him to miss the first month of last season. Both issues received special attention from the Sixers' training staff throughout camp.

This is not a new problem that just showed up in Philadelphia. James put it in his own words last season when asked about the foot: "It's called old. You just wake up with s–t that you didn't have the night before."

via Yardbarker

The 7:45 AM man

What has not changed is the routine. Per ESPN, James' day starts at 7:45 AM with his longtime trainer Mike Mancias, and the work ethic has already made an impression on his new teammates. Rookie VJ Edgecombe put it simply: "He was in there before everybody. As usual."

via ESPN

The helicopter commute has become a running joke in the building. When the chopper touched down at the facility, teammate Justin Edwards cracked, "Is he coming back?"

via ESPN

That is the duality of LeBron in Philadelphia. The body needs a maintenance plan that would make a vintage car blush. The habits are still the gold standard of the league.

What it means for the opener

James has said he wants real preseason minutes to build rhythm with the new-look Sixers, and he played in Saturday's Blue x White scrimmage in front of more than 10,000 fans. Nothing in the ESPN report suggests the arthritis or the sciatica will keep him out of Monday night's preseason opener against the Knicks. But the picture is clear: this is a season that will be managed day to day, with rest and load management built into the plan from the start.

For a team built around James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, that was always the deal. The Sixers did not sign the 41-year-old version of LeBron James. They signed the version that needs a 7:45 AM appointment with the trainer, a helicopter to beat the traffic, and a staff that knows exactly what that left foot needs. So far, the early returns say the machine is still running.

The betting angle

This is the information the title odds were already whispering. Philadelphia opened around +850 to win it all, a number built on star math, not health math. Now the health math is public: chronic arthritis in the best player's foot, sciatica in his back, and a 24th season on the odometer.

Do not overreact to the headline and do not ignore it either. The correct read is that the Sixers' season was always a health parlay, and this report just showed you the legs. Load management will be a feature, not a bug, which means the regular-season win total is more fragile than the roster looks. The value, if there is any, sits in the same place it did at media day: if you believe this core can be upright in April, +850 is interesting. If you do not, no preseason box score should talk you into it. Let the public bet the highlights. Bet the availability.