Still dealing with sciatica, LeBron James is reportedly one step closer to making his 23rd season debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.
No 23 is one step closer to No. 23.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been “cleared for contact basketball activities,” another landmark as he inches toward a record-breaking 23rd NBA season. James has not taken the floor this season as he continues to deal with sciatica in his lower back.
Lakers’ LeBron James has officially been cleared for contact basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks. Next step, ramping up to 5-on-5 action. https://t.co/jAUEPz7X3B
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2025
Charania previously reported that James had progressed to individual workouts during Wednesday’s edition of “NBA Countdown,” revealing that the next step in his medical progression would be live five-on-five play. In that report, Charania stated that such goal could be delayed by this week’s five-game Laker road trip, which begins on Saturday in Atlanta (5 p.m. PT, Spectrum Sportsnet/NBA TV).
James will not be on that trip, which also works through Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, and Milwaukee, which make his ensure his debut comes no sooner than Nov. 18 at home against the Utah Jazz. Charania concurred with Dave McMenamin, also of ESPN, who stated that James could potentially work with the team’s G League affiliate South Bay, who will use the NBA club’s practice facility in El Segundo in preparation for its own season opener this weekend.
“I was told today that Lakers personnel are still operating under the belief [that] LeBron James’ debut will be mid-November,” Charania told “Countdown” host Malika Andrews. “But this is uncharted territory: he turns 41 next month, he’s in his 23rd, record NBA season.”
“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Lakers head coach J.J. Redick added in McMenamin’s report. “So we don’t have, like, a target date. It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
James continues to perform at a high level, as he continues to pad his lengthy resume. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in 70 appearances last season, his 15th (and second in a row) playing at least 70 games. With 50 more showings, James will pass Robert Parish for most games played in NBA history.
With James down, the Lakers (7-2) have done well for themselves thanks to the sterling breakouts of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, respectively averaging 40 and 31.1 points a game. Even with Reaves dealing with groin issues, Los Angeles mustered a 118-116 nationally-televised win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, placing them second on the premature Western Conference playoff bracket behind defending champion Oklahoma City.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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