LeBron nears Lakers return

NEW YORK — LeBron James moved a step closer to returning from the sciatica injury that kept him out at the start of the 2025–26 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, with the Los Angeles Lakers preparing for the possibility of his debut this week.

On Monday (Manila time), ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the 40-year-old star has rejoined the Lakers after completing multiple practice sessions without any setbacks during his rehabilitation stint with the NBA G League South Bay Lakers.

“LeBron James has been reassigned back to the Lakers from NBA G League South Bay and will be a full participant at Lakers practice on Monday,” Charania said. 

“James completed multiple days of practices and 5-on-5 sessions this week in the G League and his debut is nearing.”

James’ readiness will be evaluated during Tuesday’s (Manila time) practice. If cleared, he could make his season debut against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday (Manila time) at Crypto.com Arena.

Despite playing without their superstar, the Lakers have opened the season with a strong 10–4 record, powered by the impressive play of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

Dončić, who has taken the lead role in James’ absence, expressed full confidence that the four-time Most Valuable Player will reintegrate seamlessly once he returns.

“I mean, LeBron’s played basketball for a long time,” Dončić said after the Lakers ended their five-game road trip with a 119–95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. 

“It’s his (23rd) season… He knows everything about it… First of all, it’s defense. When we get stops, we can get anything.”

James is entering his 23rd NBA season after averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds last year—numbers that secured him a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. He entered this season ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s list of the Top 100 Players.

With James on the verge of returning, the Lakers remain one of the early threats in the West. According to BetUS, the best basketball betting in Gambling Nerd, the Lakers are tied for the fifth-best title odds (+1400) with the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors.

Only four teams currently hold shorter championship odds: Oklahoma City Thunder (+200), Denver Nuggets (+500), Cleveland Cavaliers (+750) and the New York Knicks (+1300). 

A healthy James is expected to boost Los Angeles’ bid for another deep postseason run.

The Lakers will determine within the next 24 hours whether James is ready for game action. If he returns against Utah, it would mark his first step toward pursuing a record-extending 22nd NBA All-Star and All-NBA selection while leading a Lakers team that has already shown signs of strong contention.