LeBron James Approaches Contact Basketball Ahead of Season
LeBron James is preparing to resume contact basketball activities as he works toward debuting in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers. After being sidelined early in training camp due to sciatica, a nerve issue affecting his lower body, James has yet to play or practice with the team this season.
Recovery and Next Steps
The next phase in James' recovery involves participating in five-on-five practice sessions. However, the timing for this remains uncertain since the Lakers begin a five-game road trip starting Saturday in Atlanta, and James is not expected to travel with the team. Recently, the 40-year-old has been training individually to regain readiness.
Medical Evaluation Timeline
The Lakers announced on Thursday that James' progress has reached the stage of contact basketball activities, marking four weeks since the team’s initial update which projected a medical re-evaluation within three to four weeks.
“We don’t have a target date,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week regarding James' recovery progress. “It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
Summary
LeBron James is steadily advancing through recovery, with contact basketball training underway and a re-evaluation planned soon, aiming for a Lakers return in mid-November.
James is preparing for his 23rd NBA season after being sidelined by sciatica and will be re-evaluated by the team's doctor in one to two weeks.LeBron James is progressing in his recovery and expected to return to Lakers' gameplay in mid-November after resuming contact basketball activities.