Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is targeting a mid-November return to the floor after being sidelined with sciatica, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday. The Lakers announced Oct. 9 that James would be out 3-4 weeks, but Charania noted that James, 40, will take a “patient approach” with his rehabilitation process.
Reports surfaced earlier this month that James was dealing with nerve irritation in his glute and would likely miss the entire NBA preseason. It was reported that James was ramping up his workload to prepare for the Lakers’ season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21. However, his timeline to return has been pushed back, meaning he will miss his team’s first game of the season for the first time in his 23-year career.
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If James is indeed out until mid-November, it’s possible he would miss the first 10-15 games of the season. The Lakers have a five-game road trip starting in Atlanta against the Hawks on Nov. 8 and don’t play back in Los Angeles until Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz. That game against the Hawks will be L.A.’s 10th game of the season.
Notably, NBA awards such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA require players to play in at least 65 games. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 70 games played during the 2024-25 season, en route to earning Second-Team All-NBA honors.
