LeBron James has yet to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, and typically when the all-time great has been absent for this long, his team would suffer for it. The Lakers, meanwhile, have thrived in spite of missing their aging superstar.
No Lebron yall pic.twitter.com/6fJFKsoT4p
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 6, 2025
The talk of James being disengaged on the sidelines has quickly disappeared. Replacing that has been the exciting thought of how great this team can be when LeBron returns. Make no mistake about it, the Lakers will be better with James back in the lineup. That date should be arriving soon.
Shams Charania reported on Twitter/X, "Lakers' LeBron James has officially been cleared for contact basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks. Next step, ramping up to 5-on-5 action."
Reporting for ESPN NBA Countdown on the next steps in LeBron James' Lakers season debut process: pic.twitter.com/2wYSAhdOuL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2025
The Lakers have a five-game road trip set to begin on Saturday with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Charania noted James will not be traveling with the team. However, once the NBA calendar moves past that stretch, and the Lakers are back in Los Angeles, it will be time to start evaluating just how much higher the ceiling is for this squad who have quickly and confidently entered title talk.
Lakers are already building the foundation — James just needs to add to it
“Our group is so connected right now, we were able to get back together and there was no quitting,” JJ Redick told Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “There was no splintering. It’s a connected group.”
The chemistry and identity that has been rapidly building speaks a lot about both the work that Redick has done as a head coach, and the buy-in from the players so far. With names popping in and out of the lineup for the Lakers, they have only dropped two games to this point.
That kind of adversity has given Los Angeles the type of start that makes it easy to put faith in them. If the mindset for them is win no matter who is in there, James goes from a necessity to an added bonus. Which, approaching 41 years old, is how the all-time great should be treated.
JJ Redick on what Luka Doncic was able to do despite not having his sharpest offensive game this season: "I would say, for him and for the group, the word of the day was resiliency." #Lakeshow
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) November 6, 2025
The Lakers' success should not be defined by LeBron anymore. That would be a completely new concept for a player who has been the definitive tipping point on most of his teams throughout his career.
With the Lakers already looking like a winner without him, the results possible with LeBron should offer a ton of optimism. There may be an adjustment period to properly reacclimate, but it sure does look as though everything in Los Angeles is falling into place.