JJ Redick Drops Important LeBron James Update Before Lake...

...

By Justin Grasso

Contributing Sports Writer

ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

As the Los Angeles Lakers geared up for their Sunday night matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA superstar LeBron James was ruled out in advance.

The Lakers revealed on Sunday night that LeBron is going to be managing a foot injury for the time being. The initial injury report featured James listed as questionable to play. On Sunday afternoon, the Lakers downgraded him for the night.

Hosting the 3-17 New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers were confident they could take care of business in James’ absence. With another game on the schedule for Monday night, the Lakers could have LeBron back in the mix for a tougher opponent. The Phoenix Suns are currently carrying a 12-9 record.

...

Has the NBA Seen the Last of LeBron in Back-to-Backs?

He started the year off rehabbing from a sciatica injury. Now, the foot-related setback is in play. LeBron James will soon be 41, and has over two decades of playing under his belt. The future Hall of Famer has earned the right to split back-to-backs for the rest of his career, especially this year, considering how it started.

However, Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that the team isn’t operating with that mindset. Before Sunday’s matchup between the Lakers and the Pelicans, Redick mentioned that there is a plan to “build him up” and maintain interest in having LeBron take on back-to-backs “moving forward.”

via @mcten: J Redick does not rule out LeBron James playing in back-to-backs as the season progresses. “We’re going to build him up,” Redick said before the Pelicans game. Redick said the coaching staff and LeBron both have interest in him playing in b2bs moving forward.

Loading twitter content...

Throughout the first 14 games of the 2025-2026 NBA season, LeBron James was inactive. He finally made his season debut on November 18, facing the Utah Jazz for a 29-minute shift. He played in four straight games before Sunday’s absence against the Pelicans.

So far, LeBron has averaged 32.5 minutes for the Lakers. He shot 49 percent from the field, producing 16.5 points per game. He also came down with 5.0 rebounds per game and dished out 8.3 assists.

The Lakers are 4-0 with LeBron on the court this season. Without him, they’ve found plenty of success as well, proving they are a major force in the Western Conference either way. The Lakers clearly want LeBron in the lineup as consistently as possible, but there isn’t a need to rush him to play back-to-backs just yet.

LA’s next back-to-back takes place on Thursday, December 4. The Lakers will match up with the Toronto Raptors before paying a visit to the Boston Celtics.

For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.

Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines