Lakers' LeBron James: Will miss season opener

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.