LeBron James won’t be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers when the 2025-26 NBA season ends, and some believe he may be out for much longer than fans expect.
The 40-year-old superstar has been battling sciatica on his right side since late July, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
ESPN reporters originally revealed on Oct. 10 that he would miss three to four weeks.
Further update from Shams today:
“I heard the Lakers and LeBron are considering giving him a realistic debut around mid-November. So, October 30th would be the earliest the Lakers can officially re-evaluate LeBron James.
“He’s expected to be out for at least a few weeks after that. Sources told me tonight that LeBron will be taking a ‘patient approach’ to rehab from the nerve damage, so the acceleration of that process will be a lot of basketball training.”
One league executive believes the Lakers star may be out longer.
“Sciatica is really, really painful,” one NBA executive told the Lakers Daily. “And LeBron’s body doesn’t heal as quickly as it used to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t play in October or November. The Lakers have to be careful with this injury, and I think they’ll be very, very cautious.”
The injury will cause him to miss the Lakers’ season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21, the first time in his 22-year career that he has missed an opener.
James, who turns 41 in December, is entering the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
This is the first time since 2018 that the league’s historical scoring leader has had the opportunity to test the market.
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