explainer
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer will miss the start of the new season due to sciatica. When will the Lakers star return to the court?
Published October 22, 2025
Basketball superstar LeBron James missed the start of the NBA season for the first time in his illustrious 23-year professional career.
The reason for his absence is a medical condition called sciatica that affects athletes and non-athletes alike.
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Basketball fans and experts have speculated about LeBron’s ultimate prognosis, as the condition has a variety of outcomes, ranging from weeks of rest and conservative treatment to permanent damage that can lead to life-altering physical challenges.
Here’s what you need to know about sciatica and when the 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward can expect to return to the court.
Why did LeBron James miss the start of the NBA season?
The Lakers announced on October 9 that James was dealing with issues related to sciatica on his right side, adding that he would miss the first few weeks of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
The team said James will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica occurs as a result of pressure or irritation on the sciatic nerve, which is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body.
The sciatic nerve begins in your lower back and travels down through your buttocks, the back of each leg, and ends in your foot.
This neurological disorder is primarily caused by lower back disorders (which can be benign or severe), such as herniations in the lower vertebrae or prolapsed discs.
James may also have a little-known condition called piriformis syndrome. This syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle in the buttock compresses or irritates the nearby sciatic nerve, causing pain that radiates down the leg. Piriformis syndrome is not the same as sciatica, but it can cause symptoms similar to sciatica and is much more common in athletes.
When will James return to court?
In announcing the injury, the Lakers said James would be re-evaluated by the medical staff in early November.
Based on that re-evaluation timeline, the All-Star forward will miss at least six to 10 NBA games, but could miss more if his sciatica requires further treatment, including conservative treatment or surgery.
Even if the sciatica subsides by November, James still needs several weeks to ramp up his training protocols before he’s ready to play in an NBA game, potentially delaying his return to the court until December or even 2026.
What are the long-term implications for James’ NBA career?
James will recover in a few weeks, and his sciatica may never come back.
It is not uncommon for patients to experience recurring sciatica throughout their lives, and surgical intervention may be required at some point if nerve compression becomes severe.
In the worst-case scenario, James does not recover from his sciatica and suffers from ongoing debilitating nerve pain in his lower back, buttocks and legs, which could require surgical intervention and end his basketball career.
Historically, several NBA players have undergone sciatic nerve release surgery and recovered sufficiently to return to the court, but none at James’ age, who turns 41 in December.
