Lakers' LeBron James: Nerve issue cropped up in summer
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James (sciatica) began to deal with his nerve issue after an on-court workout before the start of training camp, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
James has been nursing the injury since early August, and he's been unable to participate in most of this fall's training camp. The superstar forward will need more time to ramp up his activity, meaning he is unlikely to make his season debut until November. Jarred Vanderbilt stands out as the most likely choice to replace James in the Opening Night starting lineup.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Will miss season opener
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James (sciatica) will miss the start of the 2025-26 regular season, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.
James has been dealing with nerve irritation in his glute throughout training camp and now will miss time during the regular season. He will be reevaluated in three to four weeks, which means he'll miss at least the first five games of the regular season and potentially much more if the rehab process doesn't go well. Lakers newcomer Jake LaRavia may get a boost in minutes with James on the mend.
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Lakers' LeBron James: On his own timeline
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Head coach JJ Redick said James (glute) is on his "own timeline" to return to the floor, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
James has yet to play a game during the preseason, and there's a good chance he won't suit up until the team's regular-season opener Oct. 21 against the Warriors. Redick appears to be leaving it up to James to determine when he wants to play.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Goes through individual work
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James (glute) went through individual work during Tuesday's practice, Mark Medina of TheSportingTribune.com reports.
James has been dealing with a nerve irritation in his glute, which has kept him sidelined for the first two preseason games for his squad. It remains uncertain whether he'll suit up for any of the remaining five preseason games, starting with Sunday's matchup with the Warriors.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Won't play vs. Phoenix
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James (glute) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Suns, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times reports.
James is dealing with nerve irritation in his glute, which could keep him sidelined for the majority, if not all, of the preseason. Lakers newcomer Jake LaRavia will likely see more time on the floor during James' absence, as he'll potentially be a starter.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Progresses to on-court work
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James (glute) participated in some on-court work during Wednesday's practice, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNetreports.
James is dealing with a nerve irritation in his glute, which has led the Lakers to adopt a cautious approach with the 40-year-old superstar. It seems as though the four-time NBA champion is progressing in the right direction during training camp, but his status for the preseason remains uncertain, as his target date to play is the season opener against the Warriors on Oct. 21.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Targeting Opening Night
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James, who is dealing with nerve irritation in his glute, is targeting a return on Opening Night, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick hasn't ruled James out from making an appearance in the preseason, but his goal is to have him ready for Opening Night. "It's probably a little bit longer of a ramp-up leading into Opening Night for him," Redick said of James. "Obviously, in Year 23, it's uncharted territory here." Redick added that James "probably did too much" in training camp last fall to show "buy-in" and ready himself and the team during Redick's maiden voyage as a head coach, so the team aims to take a slower process this time around.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Dealing with nerve irritation
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James was held out of practice Tuesday due to nerve irritation in his glute, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Along with James dealing with a nerve issue, Lakers newcomers Marcus Smart (Achilles) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee) were also held out, as was Gabe Vincent (knee). With James entering his 23rd season, the team is taking it slow with him during training camp, a pace that is likely to carry over to the preseason, which gets underway Friday against the Suns.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Exercises player option Sunday
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James exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
James will return for a record-setting 23rd NBA campaign as the Lakers aim to balance building for the future while staying in title contention. The four-time MVP continued to perform at an extremely high level last season, during which he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 34.9 minutes per game in 70 regular-season appearances.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Falls short with 22 points
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James closed with 22 points (9-21 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-6 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and two steals across 40 minutes during Wednesday's 103-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The home crowd might have seen James' last appearance in a Laker uniform Tuesday evening, as the rumors about his retirement dominated the post-game conversation. James faced the same scrutiny last season after the Lakers fell to the Nuggets, but he left little doubt about his return once Bronny James was added to the Lakers' roster. With his dream of playing alongside his son satisfied, James may decide to hang it up, but it's an open question for the time being.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Teases triple-double Sunday
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James ended Sunday's 116-113 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with 27 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 15-18 FT), 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and three steals across 46 minutes.
The future Hall of Famer nearly produced his 29th career playoff triple-double, and his first since the 2019-20 postseason. James had to settle for his third straight double-double, and he's averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 boards, 5.5 assists, 2.3 threes, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals through the first four games of the series. James is now third on the NBA's all-time list in playoff double-doubles with 144, behind only Tim Duncan (164) and Magic Johnson (157).
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Lakers' LeBron James: Vintage performance not enough
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James produced 38 points (13-21 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals across 41 minutes during Friday's 116-104 loss to Minnesota in Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
James put the Lakers on his back, doing a lot more of the dirty work due to the fact Luka Doncic was feeling under the weather. While Doncic still managed to play 40 minutes, he was clearly bothered, meaning James had to take control of the team. Despite scoring a game-high 38 points, it was not enough, as the Lakers came up short and fell behind 2-1 in the series.
James amassed 21 points (8-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal over 40 minutes during Tuesday's 94-85 win over the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The future Hall of Famer came within a handful of dimes of recording his 29th career playoff triple-double, instead settling for his 142nd double-double. James has let Luka Doncic take the lead so far this postseason for the Lakers, but he's still delivered strong numbers, averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 boards, 5.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.0 threes through two games.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Across the board effort Saturday
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James supplied 19 points (8-18 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals across 36 minutes during Saturday's 117-95 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
After a slow start, James managed to get things going in the right direction, although it was in a losing effort. With that said, the Timberwolves did a great job of limiting James, who, along with Austin Reaves, struggled to build any real momentum. Game 2 will be in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with James hoping to reverse the narrative before the series heads to Minnesota.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Cleared to play Saturday
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James (hip) is available for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
James was tagged as probable for Saturday's playoff opener due to a left hip flexor strain, but he's been given the green light to play. Since the All-Star break, James averaged 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals over 35.6 minutes per game while connecting on 50.8 percent of his field-goal attempts.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Officially listed as probable
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James is probable for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Saturday due to a left hip flexor strain.
James is expected to be available for the series opener against the Timberwolves, but the probable tag comes with some caution about whether the star forward will be 100 percent. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 70 regular-season contests, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Expected to play Saturday
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James (groin) didn't play in the regular-season finale but is expected to be ready for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves.
James dealt with some injury issues during the second half of the 2024-25 regular season but still managed to play 70 games for the Lakers. The four-time NBA champion averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Limited to 22 minutes Friday
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James finished with 14 points (6-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 22 minutes during Friday's 140-109 win over the Rockets.
James logged one of his lowest minutes totals of the season, though that was mainly due to the blowout nature of the game, as the Lakers have locked up a playoff berth and will need James at his best to make a deep playoff run. James' numbers in recent weeks have been down a bit, though that can be explained by the high usage rate of Luka Doncic and the rise of Austin Reaves as a reliable offensive weapon. James is averaging 21.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game over his last 10 appearances.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Cleared to play Houston
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James (groin) is available for Friday's game against the Rockets, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
James continues to work through a groin strain that caused him to miss seven games in March, and he's been given the green light to play in Friday's contest. James has played in the Lakers' last 11 games and has averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals over 36.3 minutes per game over that span.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Likely to play vs. Houston
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James (groin) has been listed as probable for Friday's game against the Rockets, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
James is trending toward being on the floor Friday despite managing his groin injury. The Lakers appear to be going for the win against Houston, with Maxi Kleber (foot) being the only player ruled out for the game as of Thursday.
