Are you ready to watch LeBron James make history in style! He will become the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons when he takes the floor on Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, he won’t be with the team as they head out on a grueling five-game road trip. Although still undergoing recuperation from a sciatica diagnosis, it was revealed on October 9th.
The Lakers are scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets on this trip. They’ll have home matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks. The earliest James could return to action would be November 18, when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz. Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave a rough timeline for James’ return. He stressed that the doctors and medical team will continue to monitor James over the next couple weeks.
Though only 40 years old, James has had a huge impact on the Lakers this season. Though he’s been out of action, the team is continuing to flourish with a 6-2 record overall, with or without him.
Redick said the coaching staff is optimistic about a return in the short term but not rushing him back. “Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” he said, indicating that James’ health remains the team’s top priority.
We don’t know much about his practice regimen. How much James will work out with the South Bay Lakers remains to be seen, or if he’ll simply wait until the team comes back to El Segundo for a full team practice. The South Bay Lakers have use of the Clippers practice facility, providing another option for training camp activities.
The Lakers are fully focused on James’ rehabilitation process and monitoring the course it takes. Redick added, “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.”
As the franchise prepares for a crucial stretch of games without their star player, the importance of maintaining team cohesion and continuing their winning ways remains vital.
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