James is confirmed to miss today's game against the Pelicans! He has already missed 15 games this season: missing 3 more will disqualify him from awards.

On December 1st Beijing time, Lakers star LeBron James will miss today's game versus the New Orleans Pelicans due to managing his left foot injury. Approaching 41, James has already missed 14 games this season because of sciatica and also missed time last season with a left foot injury.

Today’s game against the Pelicans marks the first of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who will host the Suns tomorrow. James’s longtime friend and agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN last week that considering James is playing his record 23rd NBA season, he prefers to rest James during one game of back-to-back sets to preserve his physical condition.

Since returning from his sciatica injury this season, James has averaged 16.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds over four games, during which the Lakers have remained undefeated with a 4-0 record.

According to NBA award rules, a player must appear in at least 65 games to qualify for season awards. Having already missed 15 games, James can only afford to miss two more games in the Lakers’ remaining schedule.

For James, missing 17 or fewer games in a season is usually not an issue, as in 17 of his previous 22 NBA seasons, he has played at least 65 games, including the last two seasons after the NBA introduced the minimum games played rule for awards.

However, due to the unusual circumstances this season, having already missed 15 games means that if he misses one game in a back-to-back, he is expected to fall short of the award eligibility requirement.

Besides James, Lakers guard Smart will also miss his second consecutive game due to back spasms. James’s son Bronny, currently with the South Bay Lakers, will also not participate in this game.