LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming five-game road trip while continuing recovery from sciatica affecting his lower back and right side.
James continues individual workouts and must progress to live 5-on-5 practice sessions before returning to game action. The earliest he could play is Nov. 18 when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers will travel through Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwaukee without their 40-year-old forward. James has not traveled with the team during his recovery period.
The South Bay Lakers, the team’s G League affiliate, will practice at the team facility in El Segundo, California while the NBA club travels. It remains unclear whether James would join South Bay for practice sessions or wait for the Lakers to return.
JJ Redick outlined the recovery timeline last week, noting the absence of a firm target date.
“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Redick said. “So we don’t have, like, 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.”
Thursday marks four weeks since the Lakers announced James’ sciatica diagnosis on Oct. 9. The team initially stated it would reevaluate him in three to four weeks and provide an update.
Los Angeles has thrived without James, starting the season 6-2. When he returns, James will become the first player in NBA history to compete in 23 seasons.