LeBron James sciatica recovery time: Expert medical analysis, definition of Lakers star’s injury
For the first time in his 23-year career, LeBron James will miss opening night.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar hasn’t played since Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and has been sidelined throughout training camp and the preseason with a right-sided nerve issue—an uncommon injury for the NBA.
James is set to miss weeks with sciatica on his right side, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The report came 12 days before opening night of the 2025-26 season, and effectively ruled the 40-year-old out for the beginning stretch of L.A.’s season.
What is sciatica? To learn more about James’ injury and what it means for him moving forward, The Sporting News reached out to medical expert Dr. Michael S. George of the KSF Orthopaedic Center in Houston.
The following analysis from George has been edited for clarity.
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What is LeBron James’ injury?
LeBron James has been diagnosed with right-sided sciatica, according to Shams Charania.
He is expected to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks from Friday, Oct. 10, meaning his earliest return to the court would be in early November.
What is sciatica?
The term sciatica is often used interchangeably with lumbar radiculopathy, which describes nerve irritation resulting from a pinched nerve in the lower spine.
The nerves that emerge from the spinal cord in the lumbar spine can be compressed by disc herniations or by spinal stenosis, a condition in which the narrowing of the nerve canals compresses the nerves. When these nerves are compressed, they can cause shooting pains, numbness, and weakness in the buttocks and legs.
More precisely, lumbar radiculopathy is the broader term referring to compression of any nerve from the lower spine, including those that provide innervation to the front and back of the leg, whereas sciatica refers specifically to irritation of the nerves that form the sciatic nerve, which primarily provides innervation to the back of the leg.
The sciatic nerve can also be compressed further down its course by surrounding soft tissue, such as the piriformis muscle, causing similar symptoms.
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Sciatica treatment and recovery timeline
The treatment of sciatica includes rest, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and sometimes epidural steroid injections. Surgery is generally reserved for severe cases involving mechanical compression that fail to improve with non-surgical treatment.
While sciatica can often be successfully treated without recurrence or long-term problems, it can sometimes lead to longer-term issues. A 2016 study by Minhas and colleagues in the journal Sports Health analyzed the outcomes of 61 NBA players with lumbar disc herniations.
In the study, 34 players were treated with surgery, while 27 were treated non-operatively. The non-operatively treated players showed no difference in player efficiency rating or games played compared to a control group of uninjured players. Players who underwent surgery did have a lower player efficiency rating in their first season back, although this returned to control levels in subsequent seasons.
LeBron James sciatica recovery
How this affects James will depend on the severity of symptoms and the underlying pathology in his spine.
The Lakers will surely take a conservative approach to getting James back on the court, especially given his age and how early it is in the long NBA season.
Lakers schedule 2025-26
Here are the first 10 games of the Lakers’ season. Los Angeles begins an East Coast trip four weeks from the date of Charania’s report.
DateOpponentTime (ET)TV channelOct. 21vs. Warriors10 p.m.NBC, PeacockOct. 24vs. Timberwolves10 p.m.Amazon Prime VideoOct. 26at Kings9 p.m.—Oct. 27vs. Trail Blazers10:30 p.m.—Oct. 29at Timberwolves9:30 p.m.ESPNOct. 31at Grizzlies9:30 p.m.Amazon Prime VideoNov. 2vs. Heat9:30 p.m.—Nov. 3at Trail Blazers10 p.m.NBA TVNov. 5vs. Spurs10 p.m.ESPNNov. 8at Hawks8 p.m.NBA TV
