Why LeBron James isn't playing for Lakers tonight vs. Hawks with injury news

The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t allowed injuries to hinder them from winning games early on.

Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves have yet to share the floor this season. Still, Los Angeles has implemented a ‘work with what/who you have’ mentality and started the 2025-26 season with a 7-2 record (2nd in the Western Conference). 

The Lakers are set to face the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night and will be short-handed again, as James headlines the list of contributors unavailable for the contest.

Why LeBron James isn’t playing tonight vs. the Hawks with injury news

James will miss his 10th consecutive contest due to sciatica, forcing the Lakers to continue navigating life without their 40-year-old superstar forward. 

The good news is, James won’t be out for much longer. 

“Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has progressed to contact basketball activity and will be reevaluated by team physicians in approximately 1-2 weeks,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported Thursday. “Any further updates will be provided at that time.”

It’ll be interesting to see how James performs if asked to operate as the Lakers’ No. 3 scoring option.

It wouldn’t be wise to demote Doncic and Reaves based on how they’ve played thus far (Doncic-40.0 points per game, Reaves- 31.1 points per game), making it reasonable to assume that JJ Redick will alter James’ role with the franchise upon his return.

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