This season was meant to be another chapter in LeBron James’ historic, record-breaking journey and rightfully so. After all, he’s the only NBA player ever to enter his 23rd season. But in a twist no one saw coming, this milestone year is also setting another record he’d rather avoid. For the first time, LeBron will miss the start of an NBA season. What began as a precautionary rest turned out to be something more serious, as his “nerve irritation” was diagnosed as sciatica. The setback will sideline him for 3–4 weeks, keeping Lakers fans waiting longer for their King’s return.

As the Lakers scramble to figure out their next steps, Steve Nash, surprisingly, “doesn’t mind this for the Lakers at all.” While speaking on The Zach Lowe Show, Nash opened up about his own battle with nerve issues during the final stretch of his career: a struggle so severe that he couldn’t even rest his knee against the car’s center console without wincing in pain. 

He said, “LeBron is physically much more capable than I am. I think he’ll- he’ll—he’ll bounce back here and be able to have a good and robust season. But even if he didn’t have sciatica, like, LeBron doesn’t need to play 82 games. LeBron doesn’t need to be flying day one. I don’t mind this for the Lakers at all.”

Remember how Steve Nash had to retire after missing the entire 2014–15 season because of a nerve issue in his back? At the time, Nash was in the final year of his contract with the Lakers, and after sitting out that season, he decided to call it a career. Sounds like a similar story. 

Another record broken by James this year is that, for the first time, he’s playing on an expiring contract. In June 2025, James exercised his player option to stay with the Lakers for one final year, earning $52.6 million, but didn’t ask for a contract extension beyond this season. The circumstances might line up, but LeBron James is built differently, and Nash believes that, too. 

It was back in the 2017–18 season when LeBron James played all 82 games and averaged 27.5 points per game. Since then, he hasn’t played a full season in terms of games, but here’s the crazy part: he’s still been scoring almost the same. 2018–19, even though he played 55 games, he still scored 27.4 points per game. The following season, 2019–20, he averaged 25.3 points in 67 games. Last year, even at age 40, he averaged 24.4 points per game over 70 games. Most players slow down as they get older, but LeBron keeps going.

But with James out, the Lakers are expected to give more minutes to their younger forwards, including Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, and Jarred Vanderbilt, as The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported. While replacing what James brought to the court will be difficult, they’ll be asked to focus on what they do best in extended play. This allows the team to see how their rising talent performs under real pressure. Along with them, superstar Luka Doncic will be there to make an impact.

The timeline of LeBron James’ return is revealed!

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that LeBron and the Lakers are taking a “patient” approach to his recovery.

He said, “I’m told that the Lakers and LeBron are looking at around mid-November as a realistic debut for him, and so October 30th would be the earliest that the Lakers would be officially reevaluating LeBron James, but it is expected he will need at least a few weeks after that point.”

If LeBron James doesn’t return until mid-November, he could miss the Lakers’ first 10 to 15 games of the season. L.A. opens a five-game road stretch on November 8 against the Atlanta Hawks and won’t return home until November 18 to face the Utah Jazz. By the time they play Atlanta, it will already be the team’s 10th game of the season.

Last week, J.R. Reddick mentioned that LeBron is on his “own timeline.” James hasn’t shown signs of slowing down in the previous two regular seasons, playing 71 and 70 games, respectively.

However, the playoffs have told a different story, as he’s battled injuries in two of his last three postseasons. Should fans worry? If you’re listening to Steve Nash, the answer is no.

Nash said, “We’re not talking about a guy who has a problem being dedicated. So when they ask him, you know, here’s a course of rehab that we’re going to have to do, here are the exercises we’re going to do, the time you’re going to spend — he’s already spending that time doing this stuff anyways. It’s just going to have to tweak it to address the sciatica, and I’m sure LeBron will knock this out of the park as well.”

So, if you’re tuning in next week for the season opener, don’t be surprised if LeBron isn’t out there just yet. Chances are, you’ll see him back around mid-November, and honestly, that’s when the real season opener begins for Lakers fans!