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LeBron James will not be joining the squad at the basketball court for almost four weeks and is set to miss the start of the NBA season due to sciatica on his right side.
The 40-year-old icon signed a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in June, becoming the first-ever player to play across 23 separate NBA seasons.
However, he has been hit with some health challenges recently, as James sat out of the pre-season and skipped the clash against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns earlier this month because of the glute nerve irritation.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer is expected to not participate in all five October games of the Lakers, including the season opener against the Warriors on October 21.
This will be the first time in his 22-year career that he will miss the start of the season.
The four-time NBA champion featured in 70 of the Lakers' 82 games last term and gave it all in 71 matches the year before.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game and finished sixth in the Most Valuable Player vote.
The Los Angeles Lakers qualified for the play-offs in 2024-25 but lost 4-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
Notably, LeBron James entered the world of the NBA as an 18-year-old after being a No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
