He might be the oldest player in the NBA, but LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is still one of the most important basketball stars.
The older James gets, the more susceptible he is to injuries.
Sadly, he is dealing with one right now.
“LeBron James is dealing with a ‘nerve irritation’ in his glute and was held out of practice today,” Dave McMenamin reported.
LeBron James is dealing with a “nerve irritation” in his glute and was held out of practice today, per @mcten.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 30, 2025
Because of this issue, James has already been ruled out of the preseason opener against the Phoenix Suns.
Head coach JJ Redick isn’t writing James off for all of the preseason, but he obviously wants him to be 100 percent healthy before he’s back on the court.
If he misses the whole preseason, that’s okay, as long as he’s ready to go when Opening Night kicks off in a few weeks.
Besides, everyone knows that James doesn’t need the preseason to be prepped for the new season.
After so many years and so much success, James is always ready to play when he’s healthy.
It’ll be important for the Lakers to take their time with James’ recovery.
He will be 41 years old this season, which means that rehabilitating from physical problems might take longer.
If it’s not handled well, it could lead to more serious, long-term problems that could keep James on the sidelines for weeks or months.
Now that Luka Doncic is in the mix, the Lakers would be able to get by without James on the court for every game.
However, they obviously want him as much as possible because even at 40, few players can perform as well as James.
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