LeBron James' Timeline to Return to Lakers Finally Revealed

Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward LeBron James (23), wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap, watch the action against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to start the 2025-26 campaign without superstar LeBron James, but the question still remains as to how long they might be without the King.

ESPN senior insider Shams Charania recently reported the timeline for when fans can expect LeBron to make his season debut as he continues to deal with his sciatica injury.

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"I'm told that the Lakers and LeBron are looking at around mid-November as a realistic debut for him," Charania said. "So, October 30th would be the earliest that the Lakers would be officially reevaluating LeBron James, but it is expected that he will need at least a few weeks after that point."

Reporting for ESPN NBA Countdown on LeBron James expected to take a patient approach before his Lakers season debut: pic.twitter.com/Z2INLMGhfZ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 16, 2025

"A source told me tonight that LeBron will be taking a patient approach with this rehab from a nerve injury, Charania continued, "and so the ramp-up process for this will be a lot of basketball-[related] conditioning work."

Charania detailed that this isn't a new injury, and has, in fact been nagging at him since July.

"LeBron James first suffered this nerve issue during an on-court workout in late July, early August, he wasn’t able to have that normal LeBron James offseason that we’re accustomed to," Charania said. "And as superhuman as he’s been throughout his NBA career, he is turning 41 in December, and he is in year 23. That’s the timeline on LeBron James."

Lakers insider Jovan Buha reported that head coach JJ Redick is holding out hope for his superstar amid his nerve issue, but knows how difficult it can be.

"You hope he can be back soon," Redick said. "Those things can be tricky.”

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James will be a late addition to the lineup this season, but there is still a lot to be excited about as it will be the first full season of superstar Luka Doncic in a Lakers' uniform.

Without the King on the court to kick off the year, Doncic can work to create a foundation that will carry the purple and gold through to a deep playoff run, especially after last season ended far too early.

LeBron is coming off a sixth-place MVP finish last season, putting up 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds on 57.1 eFG percent.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.