Overview
- James was ruled out for Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers, extending his season-opening absence with a confirmed sciatica diagnosis.
- ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said the timeline remains about three weeks, with rehab described as moving in the right direction toward a mid-November target.
- The Lakers are 2-1 without James after Austin Reaves scored a career-high 51 points, drawing public praise from James on social media.
- Los Angeles entered the Blazers game severely depleted, with Luka Dončić, Marcus Smart and several others unavailable and only seven standard-contract players active.
- Trade or retirement chatter continues as opinion and speculation, including proposals linking James to the Spurs, with no reporting that such moves are being pursued.