Injuries are an inevitable part of the game. However, it still takes its toll even on the best of them, regardless of one's superstar status. This is exactly what Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James admitted to on Thursday, as he made his much-awaited return to the court after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

LeBron was forced to sit out for more than a month due to a lingering groin injury, and the 34-year-old veteran admitted to have gone through a rough patch during his road to recovery.

James has a reputation of being a very durable player — both physically and mentally. However, his recent admission proves that no one is immune from the physical and psychological battles one has to go through during lengthy injury layoffs.

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Fortunately for LeBron, he has emerged victorious yet again from his most recent test. The three-time NBA champ appeared to have not missed a beat as he led his team to a 123-120 overtime victory on Thursday against their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers.

James barely showed any signs of rust, as he finished the game with a game-high 24 points (on 9-of-22 shooting), a three-pointer, 14 rebounds, nine assists, a steal, and four turnovers in a whopping 40 minutes of play. Obviously, LeBron did not have any minutes restriction in his first game back, as he was able to log heavy minutes in the win.

The Lakers are off on Friday, but are slated to face off against the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. We fully expect James to suit up for that highly-anticipated matchup against Stephen Curry and co.