SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 12: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during their game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on January 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. James is wearing a patch to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

...

Justin Grasso

By Justin Grasso

Contributing Sports Writer

0

Share

Newsweek is a Trust Project member

See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

LeBron James made it clear that every back-to-back set will have him questionable for the following night.

The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a loss against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, and return home to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. As expected, the Lakers listed LeBron as questionable to play.

Once again, LeBron's injury descriptions are listed as left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica.

Read More on NBA

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 06: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball around Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on January 06, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

...

Will LeBron James Face the Hawks?

This time around, LeBron isn't going to take the second night off. Although he suggested that back-to-backs will always be up in the air from here on out, the star forward has been upgraded to available on Tuesday night.

View this post on X

This season started off unusually for LeBron. Typically healthy at the start of the year, the LA star was forced to miss several weeks of action, as he dealt with a sciatica injury throughout the offseason and into training camp.

When the Lakers reached their November 18 matchup against the Utah Jazz, James was cleared to make his return. He had a slight minutes restriction, checking in for just 29 minutes.

From that point on, the Lakers were able to roll him out for over 30 minutes per game.

LeBron hasn’t been setback-free since making his debut. The longtime veteran has been dealing with minor ailments. That hasn’t caused him to miss more than one game at a time, though.

Since making his season debut, LeBron has just three absences. His recent absence against the San Antonio Spurs occurred on January 7. It was the second night of a back-to-back set. At the time, the Lakers were in the midst of a three-game winning streak.

This time around, the situation is slightly unfortunate. Since the Lakers fell short against the Spurs without LeBron on January 7, they haven’t won. Monday’s defeat against the Sacramento Kings was their third loss in a row.

The Lakers are 23-14 heading into Tuesday’s action. They placed fifth in the Western Conference, trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves by 1.5 games.

The Lakers and the Kings are slated for a 10:30 PM ET tip.

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

View 0 Comments

Request Reprint & Licensing

Submit Correction

View Editorial & AI Guidelines