Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James ready for contact basketball activity
LeBron James is ready for contact basketball activities and will be re-evaluated by Los Angeles Lakers‘ team doctor in one to two weeks as he prepares to begin his unprecedented 23. NBA season.
James has yet to play this season or practice with the Lakers after being sidelined early in training camp with sciatica, a lower-body nerve problem. The next step in his recovery is five-on-five basketball work in practice, but it’s unclear when that might begin as the Lakers embark on a five-game road trip that begins Saturday at Atlantaand James is not expected to travel with the team.
Forty-year-old James has been training individually in recent weeks. The Lakers announced James’ progress with contact with the basketball on Thursday, exactly four weeks after the team initially said the leading scorer in NBA history would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
“We don’t have a target date,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week of James’ progress. “It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. Hopefully he’s kind of ticked all the boxes and he’ll be back sometime in that second or third week of November.”
If James wants to work on the court while the Lakers are on the road, he could join the Lakers’ G League affiliate at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo. The Lakers’ next home game is on November 18.
The Lakers have played extremely well in James’ absence, which has fans excited about being a possible contender six seasons after James and Anthony Davis won the franchise’s 17th championship in the Florida Bowl.
Luka Dončić scored 35 points as the Lakers held on San Antonio Spurs 118-116 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win, including three in four nights.
Los Angeles is 7-2 even with James out all season and Doncic and Austin Reaves missed significant time due to injuries and rest.
Associated Press reports.
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2025-11-06 17:38:00
