According to a report by ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially recalled James LeBron James from their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. Since being assigned to the team this week, he has completed several days of training and 5-on-5 scrimmages and will fully participate in Lakers practice on Monday.

Shams' colleague, Dave McMena, added that James did not experience any lingering soreness or discomfort from his injury after participating in the entire South Bay Lakers training session. Sources also told ESPN that James is currently in "excellent condition" and "moves freely," and has shown a strong desire to return to the court.

Due to right-sided sciatica, LeBron James has yet to make his season debut for the Lakers. The Lakers have performed steadily during his absence, currently sitting fourth in the Western Conference with a 10-4 record. Upon his return, James will become the first player in NBA history to play his 23rd season.

In the recently concluded 2024/25 season, LeBron James played 70 regular season games for the Lakers, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Although the Lakers were ultimately eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, he still averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 2.0 steals in the five playoff games.

As the number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, LeBron James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers during his illustrious career. To date, he has played 1,562 regular season games, averaging 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He has been selected to the All-Star team 21 times, the All-NBA team 13 times, and won the regular season MVP award four times (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013).

James has also led his team to four NBA championships (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020) and was named Finals MVP in all four Finals appearances.

In June of this year, LeBron James confirmed his $52.63 million player option for the 2025/26 season. However, his influence on the Lakers has gradually diminished with age. Various signs indicate that the Lakers will build around Luka Doncic as their undisputed core player in the future, while James is expected to take a backseat in the spring of 2026.