James (sciatica) isn't expected to make his 2025-26 debut until around mid-November, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

James has been dealing with a nerve issue since early August, and the injury is expected to keep him sidelined until mid-November. Charania also noted that James and the Lakers will be patient with the recovery process. The 40-year-old will be re-evaluated Oct. 30, at which point a more specific timeline for return may be revealed. It's unclear who'll step in to the starting lineup in place of James, though Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia appear to be the likeliest candidates.

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James (sciatica) will miss the start of the 2025-26 regular season, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

Head coach JJ Redick said James (glute) is on his "own timeline" to return to the floor, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James (glute) went through individual work during Tuesday's practice, Mark Medina of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James (glute) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Suns, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James (glute) participated in some on-court work during Wednesday's practice, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNetreports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James, who is dealing with nerve irritation in his glute, is targeting a return on Opening Night, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James was held out of practice Tuesday due to nerve irritation in his glute, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

James exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.