LOS ANGELES — Lakers star forward LeBron James has taken another step toward making his season debut.

The team announced Thursday morning that James, who’s been sidelined to start 2025-26 because of sciatica, has progressed to contact basketball activity and will be reevaluated in about 1-2 weeks.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that James won’t travel with the Lakers for the team’s upcoming five-game trip, which starts Saturday in Atlanta against the Hawks.

The Lakers’ first game after the trip is Nov. 18, when they host the Utah Jazz.

Coach JJ Redick told reporters last week that the team was hopeful James would make his return in the second or third week of November.

James will become the first player in league history to play 23 NBA seasons when he makes his season debut.

The Lakers have gotten off to a 7-2 start without James after Wednesday’s 118-116 home win over the San Antonio Spurs, which was their fifth consecutive victory.

In that game, Luka Doncic had 35 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds and five steals, as the Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter before surviving a frantic final second to win.

The Lakers finished with a 21-10 run, but the Spurs got one last chance when Marcus Smart committed an inbound violation after Kelly Olynyk’s putback layup with 1.2 seconds left.

Julian Champagnie then drew a foul from Jake LaRavia while trying to tip in the Spurs’ inbound pass, but Champagnie missed his first free throw, and nobody could tip in the second miss at the buzzer.

Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who extended their impressive start to the season with a furious rally from a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Doncic scored eight points in the fourth, including a clutch go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:31 to play.

Doncic, who was back in the lineup after sitting out of Monday’s win in Portland, added a pair of blocked shots to his stat line.

Despite his subpar shooting efficiency (9 for 27 from the field), Doncic made the plays they needed to extend the winning streak.

“For him and for the group, the word of the day is like resiliency,” Redick said. “He showed that in the second half. Playing through some foul trouble, playing through what quite honestly was a frustrating, abnormal offensive night for him. And he stayed with it.

“Without Austin (Reaves), without LeBron, his teammates are looking to him to kind of keep that resolve and keep that positive disposition, and he was able to do that throughout the game. That’s an area of growth and I thought he was great at that.”

Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 1:39 to play for the Spurs, who have lost two straight after a 5-0 start.

Staff writer Khobi Price contributed to this report.