Report: LeBron not joining Lakers for upcoming 5-game road trip

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James for an upcoming five-game road trip as the 21-time All-Star continues to recover from a sciatica issue, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

James hasn’t appeared in a contest this season after the Lakers initially ruled the 40-year-old out in mid-October for three-to-four weeks with an injury to his lower back and right side.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer continues to work out on his own and is progressing toward live five-on-five activities during practice, McMenamin adds.

“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said last week, per McMenamin.

“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.”

The Lakers kick off a five-game swing Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, followed by matchups against the Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks.

James’ reported recovery timeline indicates the earliest he could return to action is a home contest versus the Utah Jazz on Nov. 18 – the Lakers’ 15th regular-season game of the 2025-26 campaign.

The four-time MVP’s season debut will be historic, as James will become the first NBA player to compete in 23 seasons. He already shares the record for the longest NBA career with Vince Carter.

The Lakers are 6-2 ahead of Wednesday’s visit from Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

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