LeBron James sciatica injury: Will the basketball star miss the entire NBA season?

Basketball star LeBron James will definitely miss the opening night of his record 23rd NBA season due to sciatica that will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday, but whether he will miss the enetire season, still remains a question.

LeBron James suffers from sciatica injury, will he miss the record 23rd NBA season?

The 40-year-old superstar will be sidelined at least until the end of October with sciatica, a pain in the nerves running from the buttocks and down the back of the legs, on his right side.

LeBron is yet to participate in a full practice since the Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp last week. Coach JJ Redick said LeBron was “on his own timeline” Thursday after practice. An hour later, the team announced an injury timeline that means the superstar player is likely to miss at least their first five or six games, and possibly several more.

The Los Angeles Lakers open the regular season at home on October 21 against Golden State. They have eight games in a 13-day span beginning October 24.

LeBron began the camp for his unprecedented 23rd NBA season last week with the lower-body nerve injury keeping him off the court. The Lakers held their sixth full practice of camp on Thursday without the top scorer in NBA history, who also missed both of their first two pre-season games while he worked to get back into competitive condition.

Coach Redick said, “You’ve got to play the cards you’re dealt. That’s a shame, but that’s just the reality. ... No one has got any time with LeBron. That’s not just (new centre Deandre Ayton), but everybody. (LeBron) hasn’t been on the court with the team, but that’s just the reality.”

Redick and the rest of the Lakers expressed excitement last week about the chance to have their first full training camp together with LeBron and Luka Doncic, who rarely even got to practice with his new team after joining Los Angeles in the middle of last season.

Instead, the Lakers are installing their offense and building court chemistry during this camp largely without LeBron on the court. They’re also getting limited time so far with Doncic, who is making a deliberate return to full speed after his participation in EuroBasket during a busy summer.

The Lakers return to the court Sunday at home against Golden State.

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