Lebron James nears return after rehabbing in NBA G League

LeBron James is closing in on his long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources say, as he makes steady progress in his recovery from a lingering sciatica issue. 

The 40-year-old icon, who sits on the sidelines to start the 2025–26 NBA season, has reportedly been cleared for contact basketball activity. 

Team doctors are set to re-evaluate LeBron in the next one to two weeks, according to official updates from the Lakers organization. 

LeBron recently took a significant step in his rehab, participating in G League practices with the South Bay Lakers. 

During a recent session, he worked through full 5-on-5 half-court drills, logging roughly a dozen live possessions. 

The timing of his return could align with the Lakers’ home stretch later this month. Reports suggest a possible season debut around Nov. 18, when the team hosts the Utah Jazz.  However, Redick emphasized that there is no definitive timeline. 

“We don’t have, like, a target date,” Redick said, “It’s just somewhere in that general timeline … sometime in that second or third week in November.” 

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Feels good to be home pic.twitter.com/RJGDz02mdl

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 18, 2025

LeBron’s absence hasn’t derailed the Lakers: the team has gotten off to a 10-4 start to the season.

Guarded by contributions from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers are showing they’re deep enough to compete even without their veteran leader. 

This season marks a historic milestone for James: once he steps back on the court, he’ll become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 seasons. 

He reportedly opted into a $52.6 million player option for the 2025–26 season, signaling that he still believes in the team’s championship potential alongside Dončić

The 21-time All-Star showed no signs of slowing down after averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds last season to finish sixth in the MVP voting.

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