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Lakers’ LeBron James will not play in today’s preseason opener

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

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Updated07 Oct 2023

Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James will not play in today's preseason opener

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not be playing in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. However, the six-time All-Defensive member expects to see court time in other exhibition games.

“Six preseason games, so hopefully I can get to at least half of them,” James said after practice Thursday. “But we’ll see. I think every game will dictate it. I will not be playing in Saturday’s game, that’s for sure, in the Bay. But we’ll see after that.”

James turns 39 in December, and he is now officially the oldest active player in the NBA for the first time of his 20-year career. Udonis Haslem (43) retired with the Miami Heat, and Andre Iguodala (39) remains unsigned.

According to a few NBA betting sites, the Los Angeles Lakers hold sixth-shortest odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.


Last season, the four-time MVP missed 27 games due to a right foot injury. James shared the details of the injury this week, saying he “pretty much tore the whole tendon.”

During training camp, the four-time NBA champ appears healthy. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said James “without question” has his burst back and has completely recovered from the injury. “He’s 100 percent healthy,” Ham said of James on Wednesday. “He looks fine. He looks like third- or fourth-year LeBron.”

At his age, injuries are expected. James hasn’t played a full 82-game season since 2017-18. In addition to his right foot injury, James missed three games in February because of left ankle soreness after becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center

During the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, LeBron James also suffered a right hand contusion and was ruled out for the entire second half. For preventing major injuries, he continues to work closely with his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias.

“We collaborate and communicate on what those steps will be,” Ham said. “We make sure we come up with an effective plan. The beautiful thing about the way we move forward is one, he’s in phenomenal shape; two, he’s probably got more years in experience outside of [Anthony Davis] than the entire team combined in terms of games played and minutes played. And he takes phenomenal care of himself.”

After playing Golden State, the Lakers continue their preseason schedule in Las Vegas on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, followed by a game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in Anaheim and home games against the Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks.


L.A.’s final exhibition matchup is in Palm Springs against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 19, five days ahead of the regular-season tipoff on the road against the Denver Nuggets.

“Just kind of easing into it,” Ham said of the plan for James. “The fact that our roster is what it is, he doesn’t have to come start the season with his cape on, so to speak. … The help that he has around him will allow him to not have to be full throttle in every practice and every preseason game.”

James could become the first player in league history to receive a 20th All-Star selection and become a 20-time All-NBA member next season. The Lakers star is tied with Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star selections, with a total of 19.

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