Charles Barkley Doesn’t Believe LeBron James Is Suffering From Sciatica

The Los Angeles Lakers have started the 2025-26 season without LeBron James, who’s reportedly suffering from sciatica. Five games in, many are wondering how long it will be before the King makes his season debut.

Before the season kicked off, it was revealed that James had been diagnosed with sciatica on his right side, which means he would have sustained some level of nerve damage in his lower back area. The Lakers have yet to give a timeline for his return, only stating that he would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. That would be a fortnight from today.

James isn’t the only one sidelined for the Lakers. Luka Doncic has also been ruled out with a sprained finger, leaving the LA squad shorthanded. The situation became a hot topic on ESPN, where Charles Barkley stirred the pot by saying he doesn’t believe LeBron actually has sciatica.

“First of all, LeBron don’t have a sciatica,” Barkley declared. “They [should] just put old. O-L-D, with an extra ‘d’ too.” 

Barkley isn’t wrong about James being old. He’s going to turn 41 this December. So it’s natural that he’ll be more prone to injuries. And Barkley was probably jesting, taking a dig at James’ age.

That said, there is some truth behind the humor. Sciatica is not something young athletes usually suffer from. And James, 40, fits the category of athletes likely to face this issue. So, Barkley, regardless of what he says, may actually believe that the Lakers’ superstar has sciatica. It may just have been another Inside the NBA joke.

At the same time, there’s also the possibility that James’ absence is not related to sciatica, but something else.

Kevin Garnett’s theory on what happened to James

To be LeBron and deal with critics… Now, that’s a full-time job. And it will be interesting to see how he responds to what Garnett recently claimed about his sciatica.

The Boston Celtics legend insisted that James came up with this story to throw a tantrum since the Lakers didn’t offer him a contract extension. He went ahead with his player option, which will see him get paid $52.6 million this season. But beyond 2025-26, his future remains unknown.

It’s a wild statement. One that could backfire horribly for Garnett should James choose to respond. However, he will likely stay silent.

James is still choosing to ball at this age at the highest level because he loves the game. He wouldn’t stick around and be part of the roster just to freeze himself out and force the Lakers‘ hand. Also, LeBron knows that he may not be the #1 priority for the Lakers anymore, with a prime version of Doncic in the squad.