LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James returned to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in a 116-10 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies after a two-game break.
James is fighting a left foot injury and and was away from the team most of last week because of personal reasons.
James did not play last Sunday against Portland or Friday night at Minnesota. The Lakers announced about 45 minutes before tip-off against Memphis that James' status had been upgraded from questionable to available.
James had 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers in 34 minutes.
“I felt pretty good,” James said. “It's very rare throughout the course of the season where you can take advantage of the schedule, and I was able to do that the past week.”
The Lakers described James' time away as an excused absence while noting that he's also been managing some left foot pain. Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed before the game with Memphis that he and the four-time NBA MVP met on the day of the Portland game to discuss his plan for a break.
“When I talked to him earlier this week, I think I said something along those lines, just hoping that he was getting a good mind and body reset," Redick said in his pregame availability Sunday. "He said he felt like he was."
James is the NBA's oldest player and turns 40 on Dec. 30. Including playoffs, no player in league history has appeared in more games or played more minutes than James — who is in his 22nd season, tying Vince Carter for the NBA record.
“I felt my foot, felt my body....I did my pregame workout on that Sunday for the Portland game and decided it was probably best if I took that day off,” James said. “I had the opportunity to take more days and get my mind, body and just everything where I wanted to be for tonight, and it worked out.”
Redick indicated that he could appreciate if James felt the need for a few days off.
“I played 15 (years) and was emotionally, mentally, physically drained, fried," Redick said. "I put everything I had into this game. I had nothing left. For guys like him and (Chris Paul), the Tom Brady's of the world, the Roger Federer's of the world, it's hard to comprehend having that level of sustained excellence for so long because of the toll that it takes on all of you, not just your body.”
James said he spent most of his time away rehabbing his foot and training to stay in game shape.
“It was a very easy decision for myself and for the team and for my trainer to be able to take advantage of those days, just for everything,” James said. “It was great.”
James is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and eight rebounds this season. He also has seven triple-doubles, second-most in the NBA behind Denver's Nikola Jokic.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to a foul against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) kneels on the court in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol defied requests by investigative agencies to appear for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree, as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon's case to determine whether to formally unseat or reinstate him.
A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry said it wants to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power in connection with his ill-conceived power grab.
The team on Monday tried to convey a request to officials at Yoon's office or residence but they refused to accept it, according to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials.
Agency investigator Son Yeong-jo cited presidential secretarial staff at Yoon's office as claiming they were unsure whether conveying the request to the impeached president was part of their duties. Son said his team had also mailed the request to Yoon, but declined to provide specifics when asked how investigators would respond if Yoon refuses to appear.
Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his Dec. 3 martial law decree. His presidential powers have been subsequently suspended, and the Constitutional Court is to determine whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
Yoon has justified his martial law enforcement as a necessary act of governance against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party that he described as “anti-state forces” bogging down his agendas and vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets of the country’s capital, Seoul, in recent days, calling for Yoon’s ouster and arrest.
It remains unclear whether Yoon will grant the request by investigators for an interview. South Korean prosecutors, who are pushing a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Yoon to appear at a prosecution office for questioning on Sunday but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to a prosecutors’ office in Seoul were unanswered.
Yoon’s presidential security service has also resisted a police attempt to search Yoon's office for evidence.
Also Monday, the Constitutional Court met for the first time to discuss the case. The court has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say a ruling could come faster.
In the case of parliamentary impeachments of past presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 — the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.
Kim Hyungdu, a court justice, told reporters earlier Monday that the court will “swiftly and fairly” make a decision in the case. He said Monday’s court meeting was meant to discuss preparatory procedures and how to arrange arguments at formal trials.
Court spokesperson Lee Jean later said the court's first pretrial hearing is set for Dec. 27.
Upholding Yoon’s impeachments needs support from at least six out of the court’s nine justices, but three seats are vacant now. This means a unanimous ruling by the court’s current six justices in favor of Yoon's impeachment is required to formally end his presidency. Kim said he expected the three vacant seats to be filled by the end of this month.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became the country’s acting leader after Yoon's impeachment, and other government officials have sought to reassure allies and markets after Yoon’s surprise stunt paralyzed politics, halted high-level diplomacy and complicated efforts to revive a faltering economy.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party criticized Lee’s proposal for the special council, saying that it’s “not right” for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.
Lee, a firebrand lawmaker who drove a political offensive against Yoon’s government, is seen as the frontrunner to replace him. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a razor-thin margin.
Yoon’s impeachment, which was endorsed in parliament by some of his ruling party lawmakers, has created a deep rift within the party between Yoon’s loyalists and his opponents. On Monday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, a strong critic of Yoon's martial law, announced his resignation.
“If martial law had not been lifted that night, a bloody incident could have erupted that morning between the citizens who would have taken to the streets and our young soldiers,” Han told a news conference.
Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades, harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s. Yoon was forced to lift his decree hours later after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament in an effort to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected Yoon’s decree. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties have accused Yoon of rebellion, saying a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and would have no right to suspend parliament’s operations even in those cases.
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun reacts during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
In this photo released by South Korean President Office via Yonhap, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol bows while delivering a speech at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, after South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach Yoon Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (South Korean Presidential Office/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference on removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, at the party office at the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants hold signs during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
