LeBron James Advances Toward Season Debut with Lakers
LeBron James is now ready to engage in contact basketball activities as he works toward returning for his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers' team physician will re-evaluate him in one to two weeks to assess his condition.
Recovery Progress and Next Steps
At 40 years old, James has not yet played or practiced with the Lakers this season due to sciatica, a nerve issue affecting his lower body. His next step in recovery involves participating in five-on-five basketball drills during practice, though the timing remains uncertain.
The Lakers are set for a five-game road trip starting Saturday in Atlanta, and James is not expected to travel with the team at this time. Recently, he has been training individually to regain form.
Team's Evaluation and Outlook
The Lakers announced James' advancement to contact basketball four weeks after initially predicting a re-evaluation within three to four weeks. Coach JJ Redick commented last week:
“We don’t have a target date. It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
This suggests optimism about his return within the upcoming weeks, though no exact timeline has been confirmed.
Summary
LeBron James is steadily progressing in his recovery from sciatica, with a re-evaluation planned soon as he aims to resume full contact basketball and join the Lakers mid-November.
Author’s note: LeBron James approaches his 23rd NBA season sidelined but showing progress toward returning to competitive play soon.