Lakers Get Troubling LeBron James Update Before NBA Season Opener

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 1:00 AM ET

The Lakers will be without LeBron James on opening night.
It is reported that he will now be out until around mid-November.
Los Angeles plans to take a patient approach to the season to preserve James’ health.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James on opening night, something that has never happened in his 23-year career.

His All-NBA teammate, Luka Doncic, has played in a couple of Lakers preseason games to gain chemistry with his running mates, so the team has enough firepower to be successful.

However, they likely won’t be able to truly contend without a clean bill of health from James, so hopefully he can manage his body up until the playoffs. It was reported that the 21-time All-Star would miss 3-4 weeks, but his latest injury update is cause for concern.

ESPN’s Shams Charania appeared on television Wednesday night to discuss James’ status and reported that he will be out until “around mid-November.”

Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) on the floor after an apparent injury during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Being generous and assuming that James would only miss about a week in November, that would still sideline him for at least the first 10 games of the year, over 10% of the entire season.

Charania also detailed the “patient approach” that he and Los Angeles will be taking during this campaign to preserve his health for a potential deep playoff run.

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

The pairing of Doncic and James under first-year head coach JJ Redick proved to be a lethal one, with the team peaking towards the end of last season, both offensively and defensively.

However, the lack of chemistry reared its ugly head in the postseason as the Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games.

James has made it clear that he still wants to compete for championships at this stage of his career — and who better to do that with than a 26-year-old perennial MVP candidate.

Los Angeles made the underrated pickups of point guard Marcus Smart and center Deandre Ayton this offseason, so the team is much deeper and more complete.

The Lakers have a great chance of competing in a seemingly wide-open Western Conference, but they will need James on the court often to do so.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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