Lakers' LeBron James Cleared for Basketball Activities, Latest Updates on Injury Rehab

The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday that superstar forward LeBron James has been cleared for contact amid his recovery from sciatica.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers said in a statement that James has progressed to "contact basketball activity," and he will be reevaluated in one to two weeks.

The 40-year-old James, a 21-time All-Star and four-time NBA MVP who is in his 23rd NBA season, has missed the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign due to sciatica on his right side.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that James would not be traveling with the team for its five-game road trip, which runs from Nov. 8-15.

Charania reported that James would continue to work out individually before progressing to live 5-on-5 practice reps.

Numerous players have taken James' place in the starting lineup in his absence, including Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.

Ultimately, the Lakers obviously need a healthy James to truly contend for an NBA title. He's still excelling despite playing into his third pro decade, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds last year.

Luka Dončić is also playing like a potential NBA MVP while Austin Reaves looks like a bona fide All-Star in James' absence.

Even with James missing the first nine games of the season, the Lakers are 7-2, which is the second-best record in the Western Conference.

They are coming off their biggest win of the season thus far, as they outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 118-116 at home on Wednesday night.