LeBron James will have to wait before making history this NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed that their superstar forward has been ruled out for up to four weeks with sciatica, forcing him to miss the start of the 2025–26 campaign.
The 40-year-old signed a new contract with the Lakers in June, aiming to become the first player ever to compete across 23 NBA seasons. But his latest setback has delayed that milestone, marking the first time in his legendary 22-year career that he will not start the season on the floor.
Sciatica is irritation of the sciatic nerve, running from the lower back down through the leg. For James, the pain has been linked to glute nerve irritation, which has already kept him out of preseason matchups against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers confirmed that James will be sidelined for all five of their October fixtures, including the high-profile season opener against the Warriors. It’s a frustrating blow for the team, who are eager to bounce back from last season’s first-round playoff exit to the Timberwolves.
Even with this pause, James is on the verge of setting more records:
1,562 career regular-season appearances (just 50 short of Robert Parish’s all-time NBA record).
NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Four-time NBA champion, 19-time All-Star, and six-time All-Defensive Team member.
Last season, James remained a force at age 39, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
Without LeBron, the Lakers will look to Anthony Davis and their supporting cast to carry the load early on. Head coach Darvin Ham will need creative rotations to keep the team competitive in a Western Conference packed with talent.
But there’s also a silver lining: keeping James healthy for the long grind toward the playoffs may be more important than rushing him back for early-season games.
For fans, this delay is bittersweet. On one hand, seeing LeBron James break the record for most NBA seasons and close in on Robert Parish’s appearance tally will be historic. On the other, watching him sit out Opening Night for the first time ever underscores that even the game’s greatest are human.
As always, though, one truth remains: never count out King James.
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