LeBron James remains historically productive for a player in his 40s, but he hasn’t completely escaped the ravages of age. In a behind-the-scenes look at Sixers training camp, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reveals that James has chronic arthritis in his left foot and is still getting “special attention” on his lower back, where he dealt with sciatica that forced him to miss the first month of last season.

James arrived at the team’s training complex more than three hours before the start of practice each day, according to McMenamin. He worked with his longtime trainer, Mike Mancias, on a routine that included stretching and other activities to get him ready for competition.

McMenamin also notes that James, who lives in New York City, took a 40-minute helicopter trip, landing on top of the team’s business office, which is next to the practice facility. McMenamin adds that no one in the organization seems to be bothered by the daily flights, as owner Josh Harris also frequently arrives at work the same way.

There’s more on the Sixers:

• Two weeks before James signed with Philadelphia in late July, coach Nick Nurse interrupted a golf game for an impromptu conversation on the course, McMenamin states in the same piece. After receiving a text from Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, Nurse stopped in the middle of his round and discussed a potential partnership with James while sitting in a golf cart. “I think the first things were just offense and defense — the nuts and bolts of basketball,” Nurse said. “He played us a couple times [since Nurse became Philadelphia’s coach in 2023] and I’m saying, ‘Hey, we did this because of this and this because that,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.’ He would kind of remember why we were doing what we were doing on offense. So that was the main thing. And then it kind of veered off to, ‘Where’s the fit? How do you see the fit?’ And I was all for it. I thought there was a perfect fit for him to slot right in there and give us a lot of what we need.”
• The Sixers’ talent level was on display at Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, but questions remain about how so many ball-dominant players can fit together and whether the starting five will be healthy enough to build chemistry, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Judging from comments at training camp, Jones expects the starters to see a lot of action during the preseason. “It just comes with being on the same page and identifying what our jobs are,” Jaylen Brown said. “We have to know what our roles are and try (to) hold each other accountable. I think just establishing that is the most important thing. That’s the foundation, and that’s where our core values have to be.”
• Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice looks at five questions heading into the preseason, including whether a clear favorite will emerge for the backup center minutes, the role for first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. and the battle for the open two-way slot.