LeBron James will begin his 23rd season in the NBA on the sideline, missing the Los Angeles’ Lakers season opener against the Golden State Warriors

James will miss at least three to four weeks due to sciatica on his right side, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.

Lakers star LeBron James is sidelined for at least 3 to 4 weeks due to sciatica on his right side. He is out for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 9, 2025

James has yet to participate in a full practice since the Lakers opened training camp last week, and coach JJ Redick said the 40-year-old is “on his own timeline” Thursday after practice. 

James — who turns 41 in December — is looking to become the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons in the league.

He remained relatively healthy last season, missing only 12 games while averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. It was the second consecutive season in which he played 70-plus games in the regular season after failing to do so since his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-2018.

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James earned his 21st-consecutive All-NBA selection last season, and that streak could now be in jeopardy, with players required to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for one of the three All-NBA teams and awards like NBA Most Valuable Player.

If James is sidelined a full month, he would miss the Lakers’ first 15 games of the season.

James — the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 42,184 points — has a chance this season to set the league record for most regular-season games played. With 1,562 career regular-season games, he trails Robert Parish (1,611) by 49 games.

James, at Lakers’ Media Day on Sept. 29, expressed excitement about the upcoming season — his first full season as teammates with Luka Doncic and second alongside his son Bronny James.

“I’m excited about today,” James said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season. However the journey lays out this year, I’m super-invested, because I don’t know when the end is. I know it’s a lot sooner than later.”

He has not yet participated in training camp due to a lower-body nerve injury and has not played in the Lakers’ two preseason games.

His latest injury comes days after James teased a possible retirement announcement in what had been promoted as “The Second Decision.” He instead announced the Hennessy V.S.O.P Limited Edition by LeBron James, which will be offered in select markets worldwide this month.

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