By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The Oklahoma City Thunder will begin its pursuit of rare back-to-back championships when the 2025–26 NBA campaign tips off Tuesday, but those hoping to catch LeBron
James in action for a record 23rd season will have to wait for a few more weeks.
James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' opening night for the first time in his career as he is sidelined by sciatica, leaving teammate Luka Doncic to lead his team's charge.
The Thunder headline a loaded Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers among the chief contenders, ESPN analyst Tim Legler told reporters during a call.
"The Thunder deserve to be the gold standard going into the season," Legler said.
Oklahoma City won 68 games last season behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and young core of Chet Holmgren, 23, and Jalen Williams, 24. The Thunder's balanced offense and size give them a path to be the first team to repeat as champions since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
WOLVES, WARRIORS IN THE MIX
Minnesota - a conference finalist the past two seasons -remains firmly in the championship conversation thanks to Anthony Edwards' year-over-year growth.
The Warriors, who added veteran big man Al Horford to their seasoned roster of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, are deep and dangerous, Legler said.
"If they're healthy, this Warriors team has a chance to be one of the top teams in the West," he said.
JAMES HITS 23 SEASONS
James, the league's all-time leading scorer, will add another record when he takes the floor for his 23rd season - but the Lakers said he will be out of action until mid-November as he is suffering from right-side sciatica.
Despite the injury setback, the 40-year-old said he is not thinking about retirement.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season," James said during the Lakers' media day.
"However, the journey lays out this year, I'm super-invested because I don't know when the end is. I know it's a lot sooner than later."
James' absence has shifted the early burden to Doncic in his first full season in Los Angeles.
The 26-year-old Slovenian arrived in a stunning midseason trade from Dallas and reported to camp leaner after a first-round exit to Minnesota.
Doncic opens among the MVP favorites with Denver's Nikola Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander.
SIZING UP
Teams continue to chase size to counter the towering Jokic, ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson said. The Lakers added the talented but often-injured seven-footer Deandre Ayton, Golden State brought in Horford, and Dallas landed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
No young center looms larger than the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, who may still be growing.
The 21-year-old Frenchman, listed at 7-foot-5 (2.26m) after a 7-foot-3 (2.21m) rookie year, could now be even taller, possibly an unfathomable 7-foot-7 (2.31m), ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported.
If healthy, Wembanyama is a leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate, with a growing offensive game that extends to playmaking and perimeter shooting.
EAST OPENS UP
In the East, injuries to Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Halliburton could open the door for the gritty New York Knicks and the up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers, Legler said.
He expects the Celtics, under coach Joe Mazzulla, to stick with a high-volume three-point approach.
The 80th NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday and runs through April 12.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
