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LeBron James sidelined for start of Lakers training camp with ‘nerve irritation in the glute’

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LeBron James won’t be available for the start of Lakers training camp.

Head coach JJ Redick announced Tuesday that James is dealing with “nerve irritation in the glute” and will have a slow ramp-up to the regular season.

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“Nerve irritation in the glute” doesn’t come with a boilerplate prognosis. From Redick’s explanation, it doesn’t sound like a significant concern. But for a 40-year-old, 23rd-year NBA veteran with more mileage on his body than most anyone in the history of professional sports, any ailment comes with concern.

Hence, the slower ramp-up for James in training camp.

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“It’s probably a little bit longer of a ramp-up leading up to opening night for him,” Redick told reporters at practice on Tuesday. “In year 23, uncharted territory here.”

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Redick then acknowledged that the Lakers might not have optimally managed James’ reps last preseason.

“I felt in talking with performance and talking with [trainer Mike Mancias] and LeBron, he probably did too much last year in camp. Which was great for me as a first-year head coach to get buy-in from him.

“But it will be a slower process with him leading into the first game. He’s obviously got 22 years so far of wear and tear on his body. He’s dealing with a little bit of nerve irritation in the glute. We’re playing the long game with LeBron.”

James had a relatively healthy regular season in 2024-25 while playing in 70 of the Lakers’ 82 games. It was his second-highest game tally since playing a full 82-game season for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2018-19 season.

But his injuries were high profile. Foot and ankle soreness kept James out of the All-Star Game after he’d played in 20 straight. He suffered a sprained MCL in a Game 5 playoff loss to the Timberwolves that would have sidelined him for multiple weeks had the Lakers not been eliminated with the loss.

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The Lakers are hoping James can stay relatively healthy for a run at a title playing alongside Luka Dončić in what could be his last NBA season. Limiting wear and tear during training camp would likely be the call whether or not James was dealing with an injury.



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LeBron James (glute) sidelined to open Lakers’ training camp

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  • Dave McMenaminSep 30, 2025, 06:42 PM ET

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    • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
    • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James was sidelined to open training camp Tuesday with what Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick called “a little bit of nerve irritation in the glute.”

James, who turns 41 in December, will become the first player in league history to have played 23 seasons when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors on opening night next month.

Redick said “the goal” was for James to be recovered in time for the Warriors game, but the coach did not rule out James participating in at least one of the Lakers’ six preseason games.

“It’s probably a little bit longer of a ramp-up leading into opening night for him,” Redick said of James. “Obviously in Year 23, it’s uncharted territory here.”

Redick said that James “probably did too much” in training camp last fall to show “buy-in” and ready himself and the team during Redick’s maiden voyage as a head coach.

“It’ll be a slower process with him leading into the first game,” Redick said. “He’s obviously got 22 years so far of wear and tear on the body and he’s dealing with a little bit of nerve irritation in the glute.

“So, we’re just playing the long game with LeBron.”

James told ESPN on Monday that “it remains to be seen” how much he planned to participate in training camp this year.

“I’m still ramping things back up,” James told ESPN. “I’m not where I want to be. But I mean, I don’t want to be where I want to be right now in September. So, I got some time and I’m looking forward to the process of getting there.”

James’ camp met with the Lakers’ brass leading up to training camp with a directive for the team to be “overly cautious” with the four-time champion in the early going to preserve him for a hopefully long playoff run, sources told ESPN.

James, who averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds for L.A. last season, came into that campaign declaring his intention to play in all 82 games. He played L.A.’s first 23 games before struggling in early December, leading to an eight-day absence when he sat out two games to address soreness in his left foot. This after James played in three out of the Lakers’ six preseason games last October.

L.A. opens up its six-game preseason slate against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, California, on Friday.

James will not play against the Suns, sources told ESPN. But Redick said “it would be nice” to have James suit up for at least one preseason game.

“We would love to have that happen,” Redick added.

While James watched practice in street clothes Tuesday, Lakers guard Austin Reaves said he still made his presence felt.

“You know, it’s Bron, he’s always going to observe kind of communicate [what he sees],” Reaves said. “I think that’s the approach that he’s going to take right now, [which] is just being one of our vocal leaders. That’s what he’s done his whole career.”

Redick said that the Lakers also did not have Gabe Vincent (left knee management), Marcus Smart (left Achilles tendinopathy) and rookie Adou Thiero (left knee swelling) available for full participation in their opening practice. Redick added that Vincent should be available for the preseason opener against the Suns.

As for the Lakers who did fully participate to begin training camp?

“Uh, Luka [Doncic] was pretty good,” Redick said with a smile.



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LeBron James sits out Lakers’ first practice as part of unprecedented load management plan

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James didn’t participate in the Lakers’ first practice of the season, JJ Redick said, as the team and the 23-year-old veteran attempt to best manage a situation there’s no precedent for.

James, who will turn 41 in December, is the league’s all-time leader in minutes played, and this season, should pass Robert Parrish for most games played in league history.

“I think it’s probably a little big longer of a ramp up leading into opening night for him,” Redick said. “Just obviously in Year 23, it’s uncharted territory here. So, I felt, and in talking with performance and in talking with (James’ trainer) Mike (Mancias) and LeBron, like probably did too much last year in camp, which was great for me as a first-year head coach to get buy-in from him. But it’ll be a slower process with him leading into the first game. He’s obviously got 22 years so far of wear and tear on the body and he’s dealing with a little bit of nerve irritation in the glute.

“So, we’re just playing the long game with LeBron.”

Marcus Smart (Achilles tendinopathy) and Gabe Vincent (knee management) were also limited on the team’s first day, with Redick saying Vincent should be full-go by the end of this week and Smart ready by the next.

James said Monday that the physical challenges of playing 23 years in the NBA are what drives him to continue competing.

“The things that still push me is the fact that the love of the game is still high. The love of the process is even higher. So that’s what continues to push me to play this game. I mean, it’s really that simple,” he said. “Me training and working on my body and trying to get my body as close to 100 percent as possible every year, it’s something that’s like — it’s a beautiful thing for me. Just continue to challenge to see how well I can push myself to play the game at a high level, recover at a high level, be able to sleep better, mentally prepare, try to stay sharp throughout the course of a long season.”

To get James to the point of staying sharp for as long as possible as late into the season as possible, the Lakers decided to step off the gas here early.

“I don’t think there’s a proven way to handle someone who has this much mileage, this many minutes, been asked to do so many things on both ends of the court,” Redick said. “We asked a lot of him last year, we asked a lot of him to start the year in camp, so it’s just working as a partnership and trying to figure it out.”

James is on board with the plan, Redick said. The hope is that James will play at some point this preseason, but having James ready for opening night on Oct. 21 is the main goal.

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)



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