THE start of the new NBA season is right around the corner – and one team have been dealt a huge blow during their preparations.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without basketball icon LeBron James for their opening games of the 2025/26 campaign.
LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorerCredit: Getty Images
James, 40, is entering a record-setting 23rd NBA season, but he will be forced to wait to make history.
SunSport brings you all the details on why James is out for the Lakers.
Why is LeBron James not playing for the Lakers?
LeBron James has been ruled out for three to four weeks with sciatica.
The painful injury runs from the lower back into the leg and is typically caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve or its roots.
James has not taken part in pre-season and missed the defeats against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns earlier this month due to glute nerve irritation.
James will miss the Lakers’ season opener against the Golden State Warriors on October 21.
The injury is also likely to keep James out of early matchups with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers.
It will mark the first time the four-time NBA champion has missed the start of a season in his illustrious 22-year career.
James has made a mammoth 1,562 regular-season appearances and is just 50 short of breaking former Boston Celtics star Robert Parish’s NBA record.
He featured prominently for the Lakers last season with 70 starts for the side.
His last appearance came in May during the Lakers’ conference quarter-finals defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
The basketball icon averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game last term and will be a huge miss for the Lakers in their opening matches this term.
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