Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will miss the start of the 2025-26 season because of sciatica on his right side.
The four-time MVP has been dealing with sciatica since late July, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. James, 40, is missing opening night for the first time in his legendary career.
It’s unknown when James will make his 2025-26 season debut, but one NBA executive told Lakers Daily that he wouldn’t be surprised if the future Hall of Famer is out until December.
“Sciatica is really, really painful,” the NBA executive said. “And LeBron’s body isn’t healing quickly anymore like it used to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t play in October or November. The Lakers have to be careful with this injury, and I think they will be very, very cautious.”
The Lakers begin the 2025-26 season on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors. They have six games in October and 13 games in November.
James turns 41 in December. He’s the oldest active player in the NBA and has been in the league since 2003.
The Lakers will rely on Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton to handle the scoring load while James is out. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.6 blocks per game last season. The four-time Finals MVP finished sixth in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Second Team.
James is in the final year of his contract with the Lakers. The leading scorer in NBA history becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018.
A top 75 player of all time, James led LAL to the 2020 championship against the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble. He’s still one of the best players in the league, but for the first time in his career, James is not the most important player on his team.
That title now belongs to Doncic, who is only 26 years old.