NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
NBA fans may have to wait a little longer than expected to see LeBron James make his debut in his 23rd season.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers confirmed that James suffers from sciatica. The team expects him to miss the next three or four weeks. Lakers head coach JJ Redick added that James is “on his own timeline.”
James had already missed both preseason games this month with a lower-body injury. He hasn’t fully participated in training camp practices because of what Redick described in late September as “a little bit of nerve irritation in my glute.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Redick added that the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes “probably (needs) a little more acceleration before opening night.”
According to Johns Hopkins, sciatica, also known as lumbar radiculopathy, “is pain that originates along the sciatic nerve” and radiates down the back of the affected person’s leg.
LEBRON JAMES FACE LAWSUIT FROM FAN WHO BOUGHT TICKETS WAITING FOR RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT AS ‘SECOND DECISION’
The Lakers have four games left on their preseason schedule. James’ latest setback will force him to miss the entire exhibition game for the first time in his NBA career.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James sits on the bench during the first half of a game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, California, Thursday, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Earlier this week, James revealed that his much-discussed “second decision” had nothing to do with his future in basketball. Instead, a social media pitch helped launch an advertising campaign for a limited-edition Hennessy bottle inspired by James’ signature coronation gesture.
Lebron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during a timeout in the second half of an NBA preseason game at Chase Center on October 5, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Lakers went 6-6 in games without James during the 2024-25 season.
The Golden State Warriors will visit the Lakers on October 21 to open the regular season for both teams.
