Lakers star taking ‘patient’ approach

LeBron James won’t be trying to rush back to the court to begin his 23rd NBA season.

The 40-year-old Lakers star is “taking a patient approach” to his sciatica that will sideline him for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported during “NBA Countdown” on Wednesday.

When the Lakers announced James’ injury last Thursday, he was expected to miss three-to-four weeks.

It might be a bit longer than that, as Charania reported James and the Lakers “are looking at mid-November” for his season debut after he gets re-evaluated on Oct. 30.

The Lakers are a part of the NBA’s opening-night doubleheader on Tuesday, marking the league’s return to NBC, as they’ll host the Warriors after the Thunder play the Rockets.

James figures to miss at least the first 10 games of the Lakers’ season.

Their 10th game, on Nov. 8 against the Hawks, marks the start of a five-game road trip that continues through Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwaukee.

If James were to return for the Lakers’ home game against the Jazz on Nov. 18, he will have missed the first 14 games.

After averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds in 70 regular-season games last year, James exercised his $52.6 million player option for this season, but it came with some awkwardness as his agent, Rich Paul, hinted at a possible trade demand if the Lakers didn’t commit to competing for a championship.

The Lakers have appeared to be focused on ushering in a new era after acquiring Luka Dončić from the Mavericks last season.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN in late June. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”