LeBron James will miss the beginning of the 2025–26 NBA season after being dominated out for as much as 4 weeks with sciatica, the Los Angeles Lakers have confirmed.
The 40-year-old veteran signed a brand new contract with the Lakers in June and is ready to grow to be the primary participant in historical past to compete throughout 23 separate NBA seasons.
However this newest setback will delay that milestone, holding him off the court docket via October and can have him sitting out his first opening night time of his profession.
He missed the workforce’s defeats in opposition to the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns earlier this month as a consequence of what the workforce described as “glute nerve irritation.”
The four-time NBA champion is predicted to be out for all 5 of the Lakers’ October video games, together with their season opener in opposition to Golden State, based on the Lakers’ medical employees.
“James has not taken half in preseason coaching and continues to obtain remedy for the nerve situation,” the workforce mentioned in a press release reported by BBC.
This marks unfamiliar territory for the NBA’s all-time main scorer.
In his 22-year profession, James has by no means beforehand missed the beginning of an everyday season. His sturdiness has lengthy been some extent of satisfaction, and a key to his longevity.
James presently sits on 1,562 profession regular-season appearances, simply 50 shy of breaking former Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish’s all-time report.
Final season, James featured in 70 of the Lakers’ 82 video games, averaging 24.4 factors, 8.2 assists, and seven.8 rebounds per recreation, ending sixth within the MVP voting. Regardless of his particular person success, the Lakers exited the 2024–25 playoffs within the first spherical after a 4–1 collection loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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