LeBron James has yet to appear in the opening game of his record-breaking 23rd NBA season. The 40-year-old star is recovering from a persistent sciatica injury that first emerged last month.
James missed the recent game against the San Antonio Spurs and is likely to remain sidelined for the next several weeks. Lakers head coach JJ Redick commented on the situation:
“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols. So we don't have, like, a target date. It's just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he's kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
The Lakers are scheduled to face the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks next. LeBron is expected to miss all these matches.
He is likely to return at home against the Utah Jazz on November 18. This game will mark LeBron’s season debut and his milestone as the first NBA player to compete across 23 seasons.
Reports indicate that LeBron has been committed to solo workouts and now aims to start full-contact scrimmages as part of his comeback plan.
LeBron James continues his recovery from injury with a return targeted for mid-November, poised to make history with his 23rd NBA season debut.