LeBron James may be returning to the court soon.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the Lakers star “progressing to live 5-on-5 reps in practice” will be the “next step” toward his season debut.

James has yet to play in the 2025-26 NBA season as he deals with sciatica in his lower back and right side.

Lebron James looks on from the bench during the Lakers’ preseason road loss to the Warriors on Oct. 5, 2025. Getty Images

He is expected to miss Los Angeles’ upcoming five-game road trip, which starts on Saturday in Atlanta, but could take the court Nov. 18 when the Lakers host the Jazz, accoring to Charania.

“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said. “So we don’t have, like, a target date

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