LeBron James is taking time away from the Los Angeles Lakers this season amid on-court struggles and swirling trade rumors.
The NBA legend missed his first game of the season when the Lakers faced the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday with sore feet.
But concerns mounted on Wednesday when the 39-year-old was also not spotted in training, with head coach JJ Redick later confirming the extended absence.
“LeBron is not with the team right now,” Redick said after practice. “He is absent for personal reasons, excused absence.”
He added that the veteran “needs some time” and had no timetable for when James would return to the team.
It was later confirmed that James was ruled out of the Lakers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
LeBron James is taking time away from the Los Angeles Lakers amid trade rumors
James is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds so far this season – his 22nd in the NBA.
Redick also said he is in ongoing discussions with both James and his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias, about handling the four-time MVP’s workload as he approaches his 40th birthday, which he will celebrate at the end of this month.
“In the game he gets asked for a sub a few times because he got gassed,” Redick said. ‘For us we have to be aware of the fact that we are playing more and more matches, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and the Sunday blow with the foot, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest . .’
James expressed a desire to play in all 82 games earlier this season, but both he and the Lakers are now practically dealing with the inevitable minor injuries that can occur during any season.
The mysterious absence comes after James was shrouded in trade rumors this week.
The Golden State Warriors are said to be keeping an eye on the veteran as they look for a second star to join Steph Curry, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week.
“The Warriors have been dreaming of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since last year,” he said on the network’s “Get Up.”
“They investigated and it was closed last February. That was before LeBron played with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and won the gold medal this summer.
“So they’ll definitely be monitoring the situation, and I don’t think they’re doing anything without knowing that this door is locked, but I would just tell LeBron, it’s up to him. He has a no-trade clause and he has given no indication that he wants the Lakers to do anything other than upgrade the roster they have, not that he wants to go anywhere.”
James fulfilled his dream of playing in the NBA with his son Bronny this season when the 20-year-old was selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 Draft.
They became the first-ever father-son duo to play alongside each other in an NBA game during the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
However, James Jr. was assigned to the Lakers’ G-League affiliate earlier last month and is expected to move between LA and South Bay this season.
James snr. received a full no-trade clause from the Lakers in the two-year, $101.4 million contract he signed last offseason and looked set to bring the curtain down on his career in Los Angeles since originally joining the team arrived in the summer of 2018.