James misses the season opener for the first time! He will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks due to sciatica, sparking jokes about rubbing some Hennessy on it.

On October 10th Beijing time, as reported by well-known journalist Shams, Lakers star James will be sidelined for no less than 3 to 4 weeks due to right sciatica. This implies he will miss the start of the 2025-26 season and is likely to miss the season opener against the Warriors.This will be the first time in James’ professional career that he misses a season opener.

The 40-year-old James has already missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games and has not completed a single full training session. Lakers head coach Reddick previously described his injury as “nerve irritation in the hip.”ESPN reporter Matt Barrie joked about LeBron: “I have an idea, maybe he should rub some Hennessy on the injury and everything will be fine.”Previously, James announced a co-branded cognac with Hennessy under the name “Decision 2,” which drew quite a bit of ridicule.

About to start his 23rd NBA season, James will be forced to miss the team’s opening games due to this injury. The Lakers have stated they will not reassess his condition for the next 3 to 4 weeks.

American media explained that sciatica symptoms originate from the spine and radiate down the back of the leg, manifesting as pain, weakness, and sometimes numbness, typically caused by damage or injury to the sciatic nerve.Medical experts estimate that James will need an additional 1 to 2 weeks of recovery training, which could extend his absence to at least 4 to 6 weeks.

Although the Lakers have been cautious with the veteran star throughout the preseason, the team originally hoped and expected him to be ready for the season opener against the Golden State Warriors on October 22. Unfortunately, James will miss all preseason warm-up games and is unlikely to make his season debut before early November.

When asked about James’ recovery after today’s Lakers practice, coach Reddick hesitated briefly before saying James “has his own timeline.” The Lakers’ head coach did not specify when James would begin increasing the intensity of his basketball training.

Throughout the preseason, the Lakers have maintained a clear stance regarding James: they will not risk injury or fatigue for him early in the 2025-26 season and will remain cautious in managing his training and game load.

During James’ absence, Doncic will be the Lakers’ sole core star on the court. Besides Doncic, Reeves will take on significant responsibilities at the start of the new season.

Reddick will also utilize new team additions Smart, Ayton, and LaRavia to provide extra firepower on both ends of the floor while James is sidelined. Notably, for precautionary reasons, both Doncic and Smart have not participated in the preseason so far.

Last season, James continued to prove he is one of the NBA’s best players. He appeared in 70 games, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.3%. The Lakers will provide further updates on James’ injury by the end of October.