The Los Angeles Lakers are going to start the 2025–2026 season without their leader. The case of sciatica in LeBron James will not see him on opening night, and he will be re-examined after three or four weeks. This is the first time that LeBron will be out of the opening of the regular season in his 23 years in the profession.
The NBA fraternity, fans, and analysts have also felt the impact of the news, along with the online sports betting, which will now have to adjust to a Lakers team without its marquee player.
A Historic Absence
LeBron James has been a prototype of sustained and lasting excellence in his career. He is 40 this season, and he has hardly been able to miss time, not even the beginning of a campaign.
His condition, sciatica, is nerve pain that spreads from the lower back and down the leg. The Lakers’ medical staff reveals that the problem has restricted LeBron’s mobility and prevented him from participating in full practices since the start of training camp last week.
During Thursday’s practice, head coach JJ Redick, in his first full season in command, said that he is on his own time. An hour following it, the team officially announced that James will miss at least the first five or six games and maybe more.
The initial stage of the Lakers appears to be difficult:
- Oct 21: vs. Golden State Warriors.
- Oct 24–Nov 3: Eight games in 13 days.
- Mid-November: Potential window of returning, provided the rehab is effective.
This has left Redick and his team with little time to get used to each other before they have to match some of the most difficult in the league.
What LeBron’s Absence Means for the Lakers
The Lakers have been practicing, and in the process, they have been practicing the introduction of new faces to the team and chemistry around their newly modeled team. Without LeBron, much of this work is currently being diverted into the short-term accommodation.
Los Angeles is also likely to play a bigger creative role with Luka Dončić, who joined the team mid-season last year. The new coach, the new center, Deandre Ayton, is also expected to lead the team in the absence of LeBron.
Nonetheless, with these reinforcements, the defeat of James impacted the Lakers at a number of levels. The Lakers would be less aggressive in offense without him, as the majority of their plays would be based on Dončić’s isolations and transition opportunities for role players, such as Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
JJ Redick’s New Challenge
This is the early test of leadership in the case of JJ Redick. The rookie coach had said he was very excited to finally have a full training camp with both LeBron and Dončić. Rather, he has had to install systems in the absence of his most influential player.
Redick is also stressing flexibility, which is why rotations are made so that they can survive without LeBron delivering on the court. Swallow an extra five minutes of Jarred Vanderbilt and an increased number of scoring responsibilities on Dončić, who has worked himself back into shape following a hectic EuroBasket summer.
Legacy Still in Motion with LeBron
| Leadership | No one is a more respected player on the court. |
| Playmaking | Last year, he had 8.2 assists per game, which played a central role in ball movement. |
| Scoring | James was their best clutch scorer, averaging 24.4 points per game. |
This incident becomes the starting point of a new debate regarding the future of LeBron, in addition to the temporary injury. In June, he signed another contract with the Lakers and guaranteed another chapter of his amazing career. He has, however, acknowledged that he is nearer to death than to life.
His prank of The Second Decision on social media this week, which proved to be an advertisement for cognac, reminded the fans that all LeBron headlines are now retirement speculations. It does not matter whether he goes beyond this season or not; the impact he has created in the Lakers and the league is enormous.
Looking Ahead
One thing that the Lakers require in the short run is the return of LeBron to ensure that they remain in the competition. These few weeks will test them on a level of depth, creativity, and mental toughness.
L.A. may ride out the storm should Dončić and Redick both make this happen, and the system that Redick uses works. Yet in case the crime fails, they could regret premature defeats in the playoff campaign and lose faith in where their trajectory is heading in the long run.
