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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will miss the start of the new NBA season after being diagnosed with sciatica.
The basketball icon is preparing for season No 23 in the NBA, but is set to be sidelined for 'at least three to four weeks' with the issue, per Shams Charania.
It is reported that the sciatica is 'on his right side', and it is just the latest worrying injury blow that the 40-year-old has suffered in recent months.
The four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP missed time in last season's playoffs after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and has spent the last few months rehabbing to be ready for the new season.
He has also had nerve irritation in his glute, which caused him to miss the start of training camp - and had threatened to rule him out of the entirety of preseason.
It is unclear whether the glute pain is related to his sciatica, but this newly-diagnosed issue is a more significant blow and will ensure he doesn't take to the court until at least November.
The Lakers begin the regular season against the Golden State Warriors on October 21, and go on to face the Timberwolves, Kings, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies before the end of the month.
Fans immediately took to social media to share their agony at LeBron's latest injury setback, with the all-time great now in his 40s and hurtling towards the end of his career.
'That's how you know you're getting old. The 'ole sciatic nerve starts a-barking,' one joked, while another quite simply added: 'NOOOOOOO.'
It also rules out an Opening Night showdown between James and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, another blow for both fans and for TV networks.
The news of James' injury comes on the same week he infuriated his fans by teasing a huge 'decision', only to reveal a new commercial with Hennessy.
One LeBron supporter is even taking things a step further and is attempting to sue the basketball icon for 'fraud, deception and misrepresentation'.
According to TMZ, he filed his suit in Los Angeles on Wednesday and claims LeBron owes him $856 - the price of two tickets he paid to attend what he thought would be the icon's final NBA game, on March 31, 2026.
'I wouldn’t have purchased it if he wasn’t going to retire. Plain and simple,' Andrew Garcia, 29, told the outlet.
