When will LeBron James return? Lakers star set to practice for first time since sciatica injury

LeBron James was sidelined in the 2025 preseason due to a sciatica injury. He missed the entire preseason, and the injury has forced the Los Angeles Lakers star to the bench for the start of the regular season.

James, 40, was initially expected to be sidelined until mid-November. The Lakers forward got a positive update on Nov. 10. Head coach JJ Redick said that James is set to return to practice this week. He will start out practicing with Los Angeles G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. The L.A. Lakers are currently one game into a five-game road trip, and won't return to Los Angeles until Nov. 18 for a home game against the Utah Jazz. 

Here is more on when James is expected to return from his sciatica injury as he nears his first practice since the injury.

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When will LeBron James play again?

Returning to practice is the first step for the future Hall-of-Famer to play in a game. James will likely experience a slow ramp-up period as he returns to practice and monitors for any setbacks related to his sciatica injury.

There hasn't been in-depth reporting on what James has been able to do physically while he has been injured. If he needs to get game-ready again, it may take a week or two for him to be ready to play, barring any setbacks. If James has been able to stay in shape, he could return to the Lakers during their next extended home stand that comes right before Thanksgiving. 

LeBron James injury timeline

James was initially expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks. Given the timing of the injury, he was expected to miss at least four or five games. So far, the star forward has missed 11 games. If he doesn't join the team on this road trip, his best chance of coming back will be after the Lakers have already played 14 games. This is on the longer end of the initially proposed timeline, and could even extend further if James suffers any setback as he ramps up his practice participation. 

Lakers upcoming schedule

Here are the rest of the Lakers' games the rest of November.