LeBron James is taking time away from the Los Angeles Lakers amid on-court struggles and off-court controversy this season.
The NBA legend missed his first game of the season when the Lakers faced the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, suffering with foot soreness.
But concerns grew on Wednesday when the 39-year-old also wasn’t spotted at training, with head coach JJ Redick later confirming the prolonged absence.
‘LeBron is not with the team right now,’ Redick said after practice. ‘He’s out for personal reasons, excused absence.’
He added that the veteran is ‘taking some time’ and did not have a timeframe for when James would return to the team.
A representative of LeBron was not immediately available for comment.
LeBron James is taking time away from the Los Angeles Lakers amid trade rumors
The NBA legend, pictured with wife Savannah, will celebrate his 40th birthday this month
The news of Lebron’s absence came the same day MMA fighter Colby Covington appeared to call out the NBA star for his past ties to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Covington referenced a video of James joining Combs on an Instagram live chat four years ago.
‘Hey, everybody know, ain’t no party like a Diddy party,’ James told Combs in the clip, which went viral in September.
‘What does LeBron mean by that? How many Diddy parties has he actually attended?,’ Covington asked at a press conference Wednesday.
Combs was arrested in September in Manhattan after a probe into alleged sex trafficking, and he is accused of drugging and raping victims as young as nine.
Combs, who faces over 100 sexual abuse allegations, is known to have thrown the extravagant ‘freak-offs.’
These parties would allegedly turn into large orgies, which sometimes lasted for days.
Combs continues to insist he has been wrongfully accused, and maintains that while sordid, the parties were all consensual.
James referenced Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ (R) parties in an Instagram live four years ago
MMA fighter Colby Covington appeared to call out James for his past ties to Sean Combs
The rapper has been held since his September arrest on charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees . An indictment accuses him of silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
James has not made any comment on the resurfaced video and has not been linked to any of Combs’ crimes.
James was also confirmed to be ruled out for the Lakers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
James is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds so far this season – his 22nd in the NBA.
Redick also said that he is in constant communication with both James and his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias, about managing the four-time MVP’s workload as he nears his 40th birthday, which he will celebrate at the end of the month.
‘In game, he’s asked for a sub a couple times because he’s gassed,’ Redick said. ‘For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.’
James expressed a desire earlier this season to play in all 82 games, but both he and the Lakers are now being practical with the inevitable minor injuries that arise during any season.
Last month, the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer announced that he was quitting social media in a bizarre post.
James and son Bronny became the first-ever father-son duo to play in the NBA
Lakers head coach JJ Redick (right) told reporters that James was ‘taking some time’ away
‘And with that said I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care,’ he said in the post in which he included a peace sign and crown emoji.
James posted the farewell to his 159 million followers on Instagram and 52.9 million on X in response to a post from Rich Kleinman, Kevin Durant’s longtime manager.
He shared a screenshot of a lengthy X post from the NBA agent written on October 24, slamming the negativity in sports coverage.
‘We can all acknowledge that sports is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t the coverage do the same? It’s only click bait when you say it,’ Kleiman wrote at the time.
‘When the platform is so big, you can make the change and allow us all an escape from real life negativity. I for one find it all a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ [Redick] and Bron’s show was the future of what this can and should all be.’
‘AMEN!!’ James posted, along with a salute emoji.
Just minutes later, he posted his bizarre goodbye to social media, which also came one day after he said ‘everybody on the Internet called me a liar all the time.’
The absence comes after James has been shrouded in trade rumors this week.
James posted the farewell to his 159 million followers on Instagram and 52.9 million on X
The NBA legend’s exit came after he reported a post from NBA agent Rich Kleiman
The Golden State Warriors are said to be monitoring the veteran as they search for a second star to join Steph Curry, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week.
‘The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since last year,’ he said on the network’s ‘Get Up.’
‘They’ve made an inquiry and it got shut down last February. That was before LeBron played with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and won the gold medal over the summer.
‘So, they will definitely monitor the situation, and I don’t think they do anything without knowing this door is locked, but I would just say with LeBron, it’s up to him. He has a no-trade clause and he has given no indication he wants the Lakers to do anything but upgrade the roster they’ve got, not that he wants to go anywhere.’
James fulfilled his dream of playing alongside his son, Bronny, in the NBA 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 suit up alongside each other in an NBA game during the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
However, James Jnr. 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 in the offseason and it appeared that he would bring the curtain down on his career in Los Angeles since originally joining the team in the summer of 2018.
