NEED TO KNOW
- LeBron James, 40, will be sidelined for at least three to four more weeks due to sciatica on his right side, the Los Angeles Lakers announced
- He is at risk of missing the team’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 21
- James has been sidelined since the start of training camp with what the team deemed “nerve irritation in his glute,” according to Yahoo! Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA season will start differently this year.
LeBron James, 40, will be sidelined for at least three to four more weeks due to sciatica on his right side, the Lakers announced on Thursday, Oct. 9, per ESPN. James has already missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games.
If the basketball star is sidelined for the entirety of the projected period, he will miss his team’s season opener game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Sciatica “happens when irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression affects one or more nerves that run down your lower back and into your legs,” per the Cleveland Clinic.
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Along with pain being a side effect, it may also cause tingling or numbness in your back or buttocks, which may radiate down your leg.
James has been sidelined since the start of training camp with what the team deemed “nerve irritation in his glute,” per Yahoo! Sports.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick said James was “on his own timeline” when asked for an injury update on Thursday, according to ESPN.
Earlier this week, James made waves when he teased a major announcement, calling it the “decision of all decisions” on Monday, Oct. 6. Fans initially speculated it was a retirement announcement, but the big secret turned out to be an advertisement for Hennessy.
James is on the eve of what would be an NBA-record 23rd season. In July 2024, he re-signed with the Lakers to share the court with his oldest son, Bronny, 21.
Speaking to what his father has planned next in the sport, Bronny told reporters in July it is something they “don’t really talk about.”
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“I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, to not even pay attention to it [and] just lock into what you have going on right now,” he said. “And that’s what’s going to get me better and to keep me focused. I think it’s good that he tells me to not pay attention to that stuff.”
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