Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss a season opener for the first time in his career due to sciatica on his right side, the team announced Thursday. James, who is entering his 23rd NBA season, will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
Sciatica is “nerve pain from an injury or irritation to your sciatic nerve,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. It affects one or more of the nerves that run down the lower back through the hip and buttocks and down the leg on both sides of the body.
James, 40, was already held out of training camp practices and the first two preseason games this month due to nerve irritation in his glute. Now, he will miss the entire preseason and at least the first five games of the regular season based on the current timeline.
It will also be the first time in James’ career that he misses the entire preseason. Previously, the earliest he had ever missed a regular-season game was in 2019-20, when he was sidelined for the fourth game of Los Angeles’ season.
The Lakers open the regular season on Oct. 21 at home against the Golden State Warriors.
James’ public appearances this season have been sparse. After taking questions on the Lakers’ media day, he’s been held out of practices and games. And this week, after teasing a “second decision” on social media — which led to rampant speculation that he may announce his retirement — it was revealed that James was engaging in an ad campaign for an alcoholic beverage, a campaign that drew wide criticism.
James will in fact return to the court this season, but not for a few games. He will likely miss regular-season games against the Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves at home, the Sacramento Kings on the road, the Portland Trail Blazers at home and Minnesota on the road. Lakers coach JJ Redick said at Thursday’s practice that James is “on his own timeline.”
After the team’s first practice on Sept. 30, Redick said the Lakers and James were attempting to manage the situation as the veteran “probably (needs) a little bit longer of a ramp up leading into opening night.” Redick added that James was dealing with “a little bit of nerve irritation in the glute.”
At the time, Redick’s hope was for James to play at some point in the preseason, with the main goal of being ready for opening night. Now, the team is without the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played for the foreseeable future.
The Lakers went 6-6 in games without James last season. That included a 2-1 record in games that Anthony Davis played without James, and a 3-2 record in games that Luka Dončić played without James after the Lakers traded Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. James’ absence from camp has coincided with the Lakers’ load managing Dončić after a summer highlighted by an impressive Eurobasket run with Slovenia.
Dončić also missed the first two Lakers preseason games and was held out of practices this week. New starting center Deandre Ayton lamented that he hasn’t had the opportunity to work much with James or Dončić, something Redick addressed after Thursday’s practice.
“You gotta play the card you’re dealt,” Redick said. “That’s just reality. D.A. got a couple days with Luka last week. No one’s gotten any time with Bron. Not just D.A., everybody.”
Asked Deandre Ayton what he can get out of playing without Luka Doncic and LeBron James at this stage of the preseason
Ayton mentioned he hasn’t been able to work with Luka or Bron yet. And it might be a couple weeks until that does happen. pic.twitter.com/8LvMbQcR2V
— Law Murray 🎃 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 8, 2025
The Lakers’ next preseason game is Sunday against the Warriors at home. Whether Dončić will be available has not yet been determined.
The Lakers will need to find a new starter to go with Dončić, Ayton, Austin Reaves and incumbent Rui Hachimura. The team could turn to forward Jarred Vanderbilt, new acquisition Marcus Smart (who just returned to practice after dealing with Achilles’ tendinopathy and the flu) or new acquisition Jake LaRavia.
James made his 21st consecutive All-Star appearance last season and was named to an All-NBA team for the 21st consecutive season, earning a spot on the Second Team. He picked up his player option this offseason and is set to be a free agent in 2026, marking the first time in his career that he does not have a contract option in place after the current season.