Per the Los Angeles Lakers and confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin, LeBron James will be sidelined 3-4 weeks due to sciatica on his right side. That means James will miss the season-opening
clash between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
The 40-year-old James — who will be turning 41 this December — didn’t participate in the Lakers’ first two preseason games and has also yet to participate in a practice session, a fact new teammate Deandre Ayton didn’t gloss over when asked how it was like working with James and Luka Dončić.
Per the Mayo Clinic’s official website, sciatica is described as the following condition:
“Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the buttocks and down each leg.
Sciatica most often happens when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on the lumbar spine nerve roots. This happens “upstream” from the sciatic nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.“
While it is assumed that Dončić will remain on track to start against the Warriors, not having James around is a huge blow for the Lakers and also a huge blow for the league, who has made bank this past decade on the marquee matchup between this era’s biggest rivalry: James vs. Stephen Curry. The beginning of the next chapter of that rivalry will have to wait a while further.
