LeBron James, the man who has spent two decades rewriting the laws of basketball longevity, has started his 23rd NBA season sitting on the sidelines.
The Los Angeles Lakers star has been resting on an elevated chair while managing sciatica on his right side. For now, the setup is purely for comfort, but the sight of the NBA’s ultimate Ironman sitting still has fans wondering how much longer he can keep fighting.
“It is uncharted territory,” admitted Lakers coach JJ Redick earlier this season. “There’s no blueprint for a player with this many minutes and this much mileage.”
James, now 40, has logged more than 42,000 minutes across regular seasons and playoffs. He missed the season opener for the first time in his career, and while Redick said the team hopes to see him return in mid-November, there are no certainties. The Lakers are treading carefully, giving Father Time the respect he has long been denied.
Is Father Time Finally Catching Up to LeBron James?
Medical experts interviewed by EssentiallySports say sciatica involves irritation or compression of a nerve running from the lower back through the leg. It can cause sharp pain, numbness and weakness, and recovery varies from weeks to months. For someone with James’s mileage, the process might take longer than usual.
Dr. Alan Beyer from Hoag Orthopedic Institute said the key will be patience and a strict rehab plan. “LeBron’s going to have to shut down the golf and focus entirely on recovery. You can’t undo physics,” Beyer explained. Other experts, like Dr. Nitin Bhatia of UCI Health, noted that most cases resolve naturally but warned that the risk of flare-ups increases with age and heavy physical activity.
According to ESPN, the Lakers have already introduced a conservative load-management plan. That includes limiting minutes early in the season and skipping back-to-back games while James builds strength and mobility around his lower back and hamstrings.
Could This Be the Beginning of the End?
Around the league, the question is no longer whether LeBron will return buthow he will look when he does. Some medical professionals believe this type of injury might nudge him toward retirement sooner than expected. “At some point, how much are you willing to sacrifice your body?” Beyer said. “He has nothing left to prove.”
Yet those close to the Lakers superstar say his determination remains unbroken. James has repeatedly mentioned his dream of sharing the court with his sons, Bronny and Bryce. That goal alone could keep him going.
For now, everything depends on how his body responds. If the pain subsides, he may write another incredible chapter. If not, the image of LeBron sitting quietly on that tall chair could become something more than a symbol of recovery. It could mark the beginning of his long farewell from the game he defined.
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