Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James will miss the season opener with what the team said was a sciatica nerve injury on his right side, the team announced after practice Thursday. The Lakers said James will be re-evaluated in approximately three to four weeks and that further updates will be provided at that time.
James, who is entering an NBA-record 23rd season, was limited to mostly individual workouts while dealing with nerve irritation in the glute during training camp. He didn’t play in the Lakers’ first two preseason games.
When asked about managing stars Luka Doncic and James during camp before the announcement was made about his superstar player, Lakers coach JJ Redick told the media that the 40-year-old James was “on his own timeline.”
“You gotta play the cards you’re dealt,” Redick told reporters. “I know that’s a cliche, but that’s just reality. … No one’s gotten any time with LeBron. … He hasn’t been on the court with the team. So that’s just reality.”
The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors, but fans won’t get to see legends James and Stephen Curry share the court together at Crypto.com Arena.
The best-case scenario for James and the Lakers have him returning in three weeks, meaning he would miss the first five games and would return to play Oct. 31 at Memphis.
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The four-week timeframe would have James missing the first nine games and coming back Nov. 8 at Atlanta.
The last time James spoke to the media was on media day on Sept. 29 and the conversation was about his plans on retirement.
He didn’t give a timeline then, mostly shrugging it off.
“I don’t know,” James said then. “I’m excited about today, I’m excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I’m just super invested, because like you just said, I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s a lot sooner than later.
“So just being super appreciative of the fact that I could come up here, do another media day and talk to you guys and do all this stuff around here, so just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me.”
James has just one year left on his deal with the Lakers, a $52.6-million contract option that he exercised over the summer. He did not sign an extension with the Lakers, meaning that James will be a free agent when the 2025-26 season is over, free to sign with another team — or retire.
James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer during the regular season with 42,184 points. He’s played the second-most regular-season games in history at 1,562, only 50 behind the leader, Robert Parish, a record James is in line to break this season — although that timeline has been pushed back because of his sciatica injury.
He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season, showing no signs of slowing down.
“The things that still push me is the fact that the love of the game is still high,” James said on media day. “The love of the process is even higher. So that’s what continues to push me to play this game. I mean, it’s really that simple. Me training and working on my body and trying to get my body as close to 100% as possible every year, it’s something that’s like — it’s a beautiful thing for me.
“Just continue to challenge to see how well I can push myself to play the game at a high level, recover at a high level, be able to sleep better, mentally prepare, try to stay sharp throughout the course of a long season. And just the roller coaster of an NBA season, that’s all like, gratifying to me, no matter the good, the bad, the ugly. I love that process. … So much that goes into it, more than just picking up a basketball and shooting at the rim.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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